December 2, 2024
This fall, a student at a local university contacted us about a power wheelchair she’d seen in our inventory. She needed a chair that fully reclines for use in the classroom and for climbing the steep hill of her college campus. She’d been stuck in bed in her dorm, and this chair would allow her to attend classes and maintain her full scholarship.
Her mom was over the moon to learn we would provide one right away and at no cost to the family while her daughter waited on an insurance-provided chair.
Because we had the resources to prepare this power wheelchair — get it out of storage, refurbish it, and list it online — this young woman is maintaining her scholarship. Donated power chairs require new batteries, sometimes also chargers or new tires. Equipment donations keep us going, but so do donated dollars.
Mike received a valuable power chair from REquipment two years ago. He has various health conditions, and before he had a power chair appropriate to his needs, he’d spent a reclusive year at home, unable to get outside or socialize.
The community services coordinator of his assisted living facility reached out to us this summer to tell us what a difference our program is making for her residents. And how Mike has transformed.
“He’s getting people to socialize. He’s had such an impact on this community.”
Mike’s son teamed with him and provided gourmet BBQ makings for an impromptu party. Mike worked the grill from his power chair, flipping all the burgers, and people streamed out of their apartments.
Sometimes, one chair has a domino effect, and more than one life improves.
REquipment is the only reuse program in Massachusetts that refurbishes and delivers power wheelchairs. REquipment is the only reuse program with an online inventory, so residents can browse what they need and directly request it statewide. No insurance is necessary to obtain devices from REquipment. There are no hoops or hurdles. REquipment is built on trust and compassion.
Last year, one of our drivers, Anthony, arrived to collect a large donation of pediatric equipment from a woman who had recently experienced the loss of her child. Because we provide this service, this mom did not have to find a new home for highly specialized devices, or leave them on the sidewalk, or take them to the landfill. She knew we would refurbish each piece and ready it for another child and family where it would see a second life.
As Anthony helped load the devices into the van, she told him about her son. They cried together. They hugged.
Our program is special. So are our people, and that includes you. REquipment is made possible by a community that understands how equipment can be made of more than just aluminum and steel. It can also be made of love.
Please give as generously as you can this year. And thank you for all that you do.
