Wheelchairs of Hope : Celebrating ten years since sending out our first wheelchair
It brings us much joy to bring joy to others
Wheelchairs of Hope (a Japanese NPO based in Tokyo) recycles wheelchairs to send mobility and hope to many throughout Asia.
We collect wheelchairs that are not being used in Japan any longer and our volunteers carefully clean and repair them. Travel agencies as well as individual travelers assist us in helping to transport the wheelchairs oversees.
Thanks to the many volunteers and partners, since we delivered the first wheelchair in 2002, we have now sent over 1,000 wheelchairs to over 10 different countries. We greatly appreciate your support.
We are celebrating these last 10 years at our next Charity Event.
Event Schedule for October 27, 2012
14:00 Silent Charity Auction
15:00 Opening. Chairman’s greeting
15:10 Special Presentation “The Road to Vancouver” by Makoto Majima (bronze medalist at the Vancouver Paralympics)
16:30 Wheelchairs of Hope Introduction
17:00 Auction, Time with Makoto Majima
18:00 Closing
“The Road to Vancouver”
Makoto Majima will be talking about his life before his accident, fighting depression for a year afterwards, then finding ice sledge hockey and heading for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics and his experience winning a silver medal for Japan.
Bio:
Makoto Majima, was born in Nagano in 1971. From a small child and on into college he practiced hard at his kendo and judo. While in college he had a high voltage power line accident. Yet batting depression for a year, and even with his severe injuries he continued his college studies on to graduation. He discovered ice sledge hockey and won the bronze medal in the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver. He currently is practicing hard preparing for the Paralympics in 2014.
Mr. Majima is employed at Seikon Epson and is the father of two high school aged daughters.
Ice Sledge Hockey (also known as sled hockey)
Ice Sledge Hockey is designed so that participants with physical disabilities can play ice hockey. It is played by riding in a special sled, called a sledge, and holding a hockey stick with both hands. As with ice hockey, ice sledge hockey is considered a contact sport.
Ice sledge hockey is a winter Olympic sport and Japan won the bronze medal in 2010 at the Vancouver Paralympics.
