LAN/WAN Professional: A technology company with a heart

LAN/WAN Professional employee photo

 Meet LAN/WAN Professional, one of our corporate teams for the 2011 Run for Mobility. This spirited group of 4 used a "penny drive" concept, which allowed everyone in the office to get involved in the fundraising efforts, regardless of capacity. Check out the following testimonial from Karen H., one of the LAN/WAN team members!

 "LAN/WAN Professional is a nationwide membership/partnership organization of professionals and companies in information technology.  We are headquartered in Tustin, CA and at present have 30 employees and we are growing fast!  As part of our commitment to giving back to the community, we enjoy being involved in activities where we can not only focus on internal team building and personal challenge, but can also help support those in need.  

I first learned about Wheelchair Mission when I  heard  Don Schoendorfer speaking at Mariners Church.  I was so touched by his presentation, that I wanted to learn more about his charity.  His desire to help those less fortunate was contagious, and when I learned that I could help raise money through Surf City Marathon, I decided to present it to the LANWAN Professional team.  Even though not everyone participated in the run, we all got involved and it became a weekly mission to see how much money we could raise.  Instead of focusing on large, corporate donors, we focused our fundraising on regular, everyday people who also became excited about the idea of building low cost wheelchairs for the disabled.  We collected pennies to dollars and were able to raise well over $1200!

Our running team included myself, our CEO- Eric Choi, his father Tae Yun Choi - who is 76 years old, as well as our consultant Karen-who is the mother of triplets!  Both Eric and Karen participated in the full marathon, while myself and Mr. Choi ran the half marathon. We very much enjoyed our participation in this event and look forward to participating in the future!"

Volunteer Spotlight: UCI Phi Sigma Rho & Cypress High School

Meet our Photo Station / Finish Line Volunteers from UCI's Phi Sigma Rho and Cypress High School's Free Wheelchair Mission Club! These two groups joined Station Commander Evey along the finishing stretch of the marathon / half marathon course, giving runners a last minute push as they completed their race. Seeing the course lined with blue helped boost the spirits of many runners who were struggling to make it across that finish line. 

Special thank you to the UCI Phi Sigma Rho volunteers: Christina, the lead for your group; and to Jessica, Lauren, and Stephanie for being such wonderful cheerleaders for FWM!

Special thank you to the Cypress High School Free Wheelchair Mission Club volunteers: Lauren, for organizing and leading your group; and to Alexis, Raveena, Nick, Kyle, and Emma for supporting FWM out there on the course!

Sitting down for a quick rest between waves

Here they come!

Diana: Beach lover, accountant, and parent with a passion

Diana and Tony

Meet Diana, one of our 1 Mile for Mobility participants! Together with Tony, they joined the race not only to get healthy and support a good cause, but because of a deep connection and understanding of disability through their personal experiences with their daughter.


"I had never had a connection to anyone with a physical disability until four years ago.  I was uncomfortable around someone in a wheelchair or wearing a prosthetic;  I mean, what do you say? How do you act?  It was easier just to give him/her wide berth and avoid the situation completely.
 
That certainly changed when our 19 year old daughter lost her right leg just below the knee as result of a car accident on New Years Day. She spent 10 days in ICU and was finally released from the hospital the second week of February.  She had to take the spring semester of her sophomore year at college off and move back home in order to start a long road to recovery.  Using a wheelchair was the first step in regaining her independence.  She could roll into the kitchen or get herself out to the car for a ride to the mall or the grocery store.  She got her first prosthetic leg in about 3 months after the accident but took the wheelchair with her when she moved into a studio apartment near the campus that July.  She still uses it from time to time.  


We are extremely lucky to live in a country where health care (cost not withstanding) is available to everyone.  Free Wheelchair Mission provides to chairs to people in countries that lack the medical attention we take for granted."

Diana, sister Carol, dog Jed, and Tony at the FWM post-race pavilion

Diana and Tony after completing the 1 Mile for Mobility on Race Day

Volunteer Spotlight: Ryan (1 Mile Cheer Station Commander)

Volunteer extraordinaire

Meet Ryan, our wonderful all around Run for Mobility volunteer. Not only has he been with us for the past few years helping out on Race Day, but he has also helped us for our Run for Mobility Dine and Dash Dinner, plus has help out throughout the months leading up to the event.

"Hi, my name is Ryan Wallace and I am a student at UC Irvine. I am majoring in Biological Sciences with a Minor in Civic and Community Engagement. I found Free Wheelchair Mission through one of my classes for my minor, and am thankful that I did. 

I started volunteering as part of my class in Community Engagement, but once the quarter was over I found myself attached to Free Wheelchair Mission and changed by my experiences with it.
 
Last year I began volunteering as a Run for Mobility volunteer, doing all sorts of different jobs including pushing chairs at the starting line of the marathon. This year I once again participated as a volunteer for the Run for Mobility and I was given the privilege of leading a whole group of young volunteers who supported the one-milers and gave great encouragement to the runners in appreciation for all their hard work. I love music, helping people, going to the beach, and most of all spending my free time with my Pomeranian Skuttles!"

With Scuttles

With FWM Staff Ashley

With his 1 Mile volunteers

A special thanks to Ryan for his continued support throughout the years, his enthusiasm and new ideas, for fitting us into his busy school schedule, and for always being up for making the long drive to Irvine!

Volunteer Spotlight: Daniel (Mile 23 Water Station Commander)

Meet Daniel, the Station Commander for the Mile 23 marathon water station. His leadership and enthusiasm helped make race day a huge success!

Athlete. Daniel discovered running his freshman year of high school, and joined the track team at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa. His love for running only grew from there. He ran both cross country and track and field his sophomore, junior and senior years, and was even the varsity cross country captain! He continued his running career in college at Orange Coast College, and still loves the sport today. He jumped at the opportunity to get involved with Run for Mobility, since it allowed him to connect with those who are passionate about the sport as well. 

Praise for his volunteers.  "The FWM volunteers @ mile 22 water station were great. Everyone was enthusiastic, energetic, and ready to cheer everyone on, especially our FWM people with the blue T-Shirts. One of the volunteers even pulled up his car next to the water station (about 5-10 feet from the water tables), opened all the car doors, and blasted his iPod. This really elevated the energy of everyone, the runners included. A few others were also started randomly cheering in unison & clapping for the runners, making up cheers. Everyone would take turns doing this. Everyone was eager to help wherever they were needed. I could not of asked for a better group!"

Passion for FWM's Mission. "I know what it’s like to be in a wheelchair. Even though it was only for about 4 months I can’t image not having a wheelchair when I needed it. I allowed me to “live my life” a bit more normally. I believe that giving back to others and making this world a better place is important. I believe FWM mission is doing this for people that cannot afford a wheelchair. $59.20 is a small price to pay for giving one person their life back. Being able to move around and experience life events is extremely important."

Daniel and his new puppy Jarvis!

A special thanks to Daniel for staying late on Saturday night to prep for race morning, for arriving at o'dark thirty on Race Morning, for taking all the bumps in stride and making it look effortless, and for having a smile the whole time!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jesse (Start Line Water Station Commander)

Meet Jesse, the Station Commander for the Start Line Water Stations. He not only helped on Race Day to lead his station of volunteers, but he also helped the night before the race by prepping the race day pavilion that served as headquarters for all our FWM runners, volunteers, and staff. Jesse would like to give his volunteers a special "thank you" for being so enthusiastic and flexible!

Jesse graduated from CSULB with a degree in Psychology. He works as a Play Specialist for a nonprofit organization in LA County, working to provide safe, healthy, and inclusive play to youth at a school serving students from kindergarten to 5th grade. Besides volunteering for causes he is passionate about, Jesse enjoys coaching youth hockey (ages 16 and under), running 5Ks with his dad, hiking, playing in an evening adult hockey league, watching The Simpsons, and supporting his favorite teams - UCLA football, the L.A. Kings, and the L.A. Dodgers!

Special thanks to Jesse for taking on his volunteer role so completely, for creating his own volunteer orientation program, and for his ongoing support of the FWM staff!

Adult league hockey

5K race