Clarke’s COSPT Seeks Donations April 14

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

COSPT will collect assistive devices from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 14, 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.

The items will be donated to Wheels for the World, a nonprofit organization that refurbishes the devices and sends them to countries without access to such devices. Wheels for the World collects the items that are then 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.”

Clarke’s physical therapy students have made it their mission to collect as many unwanted or broken assistive items as possible. Wheels for the World offers an alternative option to a landfill for those looking to dispose of unwanted or broken items while still making a positive impact on the lives of those less fortunate.