Clarke’s Organization of Student Physical Therapists Seeking Donations

The Clarke University Organization of Student Physical Therapists (COSPT) is again seeking donations of used or broken wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, or canes.

The items will be donated to Wheels for the World, a non-profit organization that refurbishes the devices and sends them to countries without access to such devices. Wheels for the World collects the items to be refurbished by inmates at a correctional facility in Kansas. The wheelchairs are then shipped worldwide where teams of physical or occupational therapists, wheelchair mechanics, and others assist with distribution. The gift of a wheelchair or other assistive device can transform the life of a person with a disability.

Chair and Professor of Physical Therapy Bill O’Dell said, “Clarke’s Physical Therapy department has been involved in this charity for more than 12 years, and it has always been a great success. Our best year, we donated 530 wheelchairs in addition to walkers and crutches. These assistive devices have gone to many far-reaching areas including Central America, Africa, and Haiti.”

DPT student Rebekah Harvey shared, “This is my second year working with Wheels for the World through the Clarke COSPT organization. My heart is drawn towards this organization, as I have a twin brother who utilizes a wheelchair daily to allow for social interaction and mobility throughout the community. I am now able to help give this ability to others around the world through this organization and it is such a blessing.”

COSPT will be collecting assistive devices from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, at the main entrance of Catherine Byrne Hall on the Clarke campus. If unable to donate that day, please call (563)588-6382 to make arrangements to drop items off in the Physical Therapy office in the main lobby of Catherine Byrne Hall.