To donate your wheelchair or if you need a wheelchair or to
make a donation towards this project and receive a tax deduction,
please contact Mike Kubik at mike@lifenets.org or call at
 317-300-4565 (Monday through Friday 9 to 9 Eastern Time).

LifeNets The Wheelchair Project 3707 Turfway Ct. Indianapolis, IN 46228

You may also donate now by Visa/Master Card/Discover

Alix Kubik is our wheelchair coordinator. She will make every effort to match up available wheelchairs with those who need them. She is a graduate of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a Masters Degree in Social Work.

HOW to Make a Wheelchair Donation or Make a Request For a Wheelchair   Please see our US inventory.  Our mission is to match available donated wheelchairs to those in need. We do not put a price on the wheelchairs; we only ask that the recipient make arrangements to pick up the chair or pay shipping charges when it is necessary.  LifeNets Home   USA TODAY speaks of LifeNets Wheelchair Project (also here)   Real Simple magazine, circulation 2,000,000, mentions LifeNets as a good place to go to to recycle your wheelchair. See Web version.   Archives of Wheelchair Project stories BACKGROUND INFO about the Wheelchair Project

Read some of our happy wheelchair stories.....

Updated August 19, 2010

Recent donations came from our website and by calling hospitals and physical therapy clinics in the Indianapolis area.  On the right is a photo of Bob Quack, Wheelchair Facilitator at the the Rehabilitation Hospital in Indianapolis, demonstrating the use of a custom made manual chair that allows the owner to stand using the chair.  On the left is a photo of the recipient of that chair who has an extreme case of Cerebral Palsy. The chair is allowing him to use his muscles using the load-bearing function of the custom chair. - Michael Kubik  August 19, 2010   The Rest of the Story. March 13, 2010 One of the greatest joys we have in LifeNets is  is when we see the efforts of several people result in a benefit to someone in great need.  This is one of those stories that involved FINDING a wheelchair, delivering it from Ohio to Kenya to DELIVERY. Read more about this story. Chibwana Nsamala TA Kalembo Balaka February 8, 2010                                                                                                                To LifeNets, I write to thank you for the donation of the wheelchair. I will be able to move anywhere-everywhere to go to the market, visiting friends, church etc. and now my problem of movement is over. Continue supporting people like me.  Yours faithfully,  Patuma Wyson Before:  This is "mobility" without a wheelchair   After"  Dr. Sam Chilopora and Esther with Patuma Wyson in LifeNets wheelchair Updated December 20, 2009  From Jeremy Lallier:  This wheelchair is part of the Youth Corp project. I will be helping out at the summer camp that we run in Kenya, and then spending the following week visiting people. I will be leaving for Kenya this Sunday (Dec. 13, 2009 ) and departing Dec. 31. The wheelchair will be coming with me on the flight, and then Mr. Antonio Ndungu (who alerted us to the need) will take us to present the chair to the boy. Below is what Mr. Ndungu wrote to me about him: "Thank you very much for this good news. I cannot explain how exited I am for the assistance of a Wheel to this needy young boy. His names are Edwin Ng’ethe Ndung’u and now 10 years old. He was born with a spine problem “[Spina] Bifida” and therefore has no nerve feelings on his lower part of the body. He has been in that condition since childhood. This no doubt means that he cannot stand on his own and has to be lifted to be placed on the Wheel Chair. The boys Parents are in our village but do not attend with United. The wheel chair he is now using is in bad condition and they parents could not afford another one for replacement as they are not finacialy in a position to do so. They have been looking for someone to assist them get another one for over 12 months now and when recently I learned of their plight I was so touched. He attends a school nearby in Class 1 and now will be in position to attend classes on the wheelchair." God's hand has already been so involved with the planning of this trip, but I think being able to provide a wheelchair to someone in need has thus far been the icing on the cake. Updated September 1, 2009 On the right is a wheelchair match in Pottstown, PA shipped from Whitestown, IN.  it was given to a student who could not attend school until he had a wheelchair. Updated July 26, 2009    Here are some photos of our recent wheelchair activity. On the left is Michael Kubik picking up a wheelchair Chicago on July 19, 2009 for recipient in Indianapolis.  On the right is our wheelchair coordinator Alix Kubik delivering a power chair for 50 year-old woman who can now have mobility to see her grandchildren and get around in general in the neighborhood.  Our program has provided joy in helping people who would have otherwise been immobilized to get around.  And that changes their life and orientation immeasurably.  Again, we thank YOU for for your help.  We always need chairs.  We have two people asking for every chair available.  If you can donate or know of anyone else who can donate an unused chair, please contact us at the phone number above or our special Website at www.lifenetswheelchairproject.org  and let us know what you can help us with.  Once the chair is matched, you will received a tax exempt receipt.

Updated July 26, 2009  Four years ago disabled Merekina Filipo was pushing her hand-operated wheelchair in Salima, Malawi.  A moving vehicle ran into her damaging the chair. The driver then ran away leaving her in painful wounds. No one, not even the government, wanted to help her with her broken wheelchair, Her wheel chair was a nice one because she could cycle it using her hands. She approached Wordsworth Rashid, one of our LifeNets representatives in Malawi, if we assist her with the repair of her wheelchair. This was in February 2009. We were glad to help and provided the funding to repair the chair We normally do not deliver wheelchairs overseas, but were able to repair this one and tell this story. See more story and photos.

Updated June 12, 2009  Seattle’s ABC Affiliate KOMO News 4’s (www.komonews.com) Problem Solver’s program helped a Tacoma man obtain another wheelchair – see story.  In response to the story, several people volunteered a wheelchair, including LifeNets.  A deluxe model was chosen and given to Andrew Hagan Monday, the day after KOMO aired the story which was May 11, 2009..  Unfortunately, it turned out that new chair too heavy and not easily collapsed so it could be put into his Mother ‘s car when she picked him up from his classes.  A couple of days later, KOMO’s Jennifer Austin called Catherine Brumbaugh, LifeNets Puget Sound member, who had called after seeing the program but could not obtain a chair that Monday.  Working with Alix Kubik, LifeNets wheelchair program coordinator, a chair was located in the Seattle area, picked up in north Seattle and taken south to an arranged meeting with Ms. Hagan and her son Andrew.  Ms. Hagan was very happy to have a lighter weight model that was easy to fold and store in her car’s trunk.  KOMO added information about LifeNets to its website story about the Hagans. -- Catherine Brumbaugh, LifeNets Puget Sound Chapter

Updated June 3, 2009 Dear Alix This morning (May 31) Gerald Hoyer brought the power chair to our home in Mesa, AZ.  Johnny and Vicki Rose were here with their daughters to receive the chair and meet the Hoyer's. They were such sweet people! We were shocked at what fantastic condition it was in and still cannot believe our good fortune. If there is ever anything we can do to assist in the Phoenix area, please do not hesitate to contact us. We our forever grateful for how much easier things will be for Johnny.  Thank you for facilitating this transfer! Warm Regards, Tracy Updated April 3, 2009 The April 2009 issue of Indianapolis Monthly mentions The LifeNets Wheelchair Project in its cover article "How to Get Rid of Stuff"  It is mentioned on page 63 in section on Wheelchairs: "No use spinning your wheels. Donate.  The Indianapolis based LifeNets Wheelchair Project matches available wheelchairs with people in need throughout the country via an online data base. The organization accepts all types of wheelchairs in usable condition."  On page 113 in a list of places to donate to telephone number and Web site for LifeNets is given   Updated February 9, 2009 Top: Chiphale Njewa with wife Lester Bottom: With elder Eliphazi Salawilla Right: With great-grandchildren Wordsworth Rashid, our LifeNets representative in Lilongwe, Malawi writes to us about this wheelchair  delivery on December 23, 2008 I went to collect the wheelchair today and indeed I was very successful as I planned to wait for the Minister for Elderly and Disabled, Hon. Clement Khembo till he came and gave me the wheelchair for Mr. Chiphale Njewa. He had also helped me to get it near my home by the staff bus.  Finally, let me give thanks to Mr. Henry Khembo, Mr. Clement Khembo and Beverly Kubik for such an input that Mr. Njewa should get this wheelchair.  Regards to all,  Wordsworth. Chiphale Njewa suffered stroke and has had no mobility for months. When we visited him in his home in October 2008 we promised a wheelchair. (See blog) It was delivered just before the end of 2008.  December 27, 2008 The Marion Star Press, central Indiana newspaper recommends LifeNets as a place to recycle wheelchairs.   On the left is wheelchair delivery by Bev Kubik to Nelson Arnold at the Terre Haute, Indiana congregation on November 22 for needy recipient in the Bloomington, Illinois area later in the week.    December 10, 2008 On October 3, 2008 we received this nice letter from the North City Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:   See entire letter   October 2, 2008 Real Simple magazine, circulation 2,000,000, mentions LifeNets as a good place to go to to recycle your wheelchair. See Web version. Real Simple is a monthly women's interest magazine, which was launched by Time in 2000, features articles and information related to homekeeping, childcare, cooking and emotional wellbeing. Real Simple is distinguished by its clean, uncluttered style of layout and photos. Real Simple made its television debut in 2006, with a half-hour segment airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). We appreciated the coverage and support! July 13, 2008 July 13, 2008 LifeNets helps Indianapolis residents with two wheelchairs. Tom (right) picks these two up...one for brother and one for another needy person.

Please go to archives on our wheelchair project