Mobility Worldwide

I have some new blog ideas in the works; however, this past weekend my family had a community service experience that is worth sharing. Alas, my other blog ideas will have to wait a week.

About a week ago, my wife caught wind of a family service opportunity through our church for an organization called Mobility Worldwide. Out of 25 locations across the country, the lone location in Ohio happens to be in Stow, Oh. This organization builds hand-driven carts for men and women who are immobile or don’t have legs. A team of volunteers, many of them retired, get together each week to put together these carts, which are then distributed worldwide to those in need.

The genius of the operations lies in the setup. Although it took a while to set up, a group of men got together six years ago and began setting up a workshop with preconfigured jigs set up at each station; these jigs allow for producing a consistent product. Because they are set up this way, it allows volunteers with almost no prior experience to come in and learn how to put together these carts. Mobility Worldwide in Stow has been lucky enough to attract retired skilled tradesmen such as welders, carpenters, and even a few engineers to construct ingenious methods for construction.

Six years and almost 1,400 carts later the small army of volunteers hosted a family night for our church to come and learn about the operation and to give children a chance to play a role in building the carts and learning what it means to serve others without expecting anything tangible in return. My wife and I, along with our daughter Josie and her two grandfathers were able to experience this incredible mission. Josie learned how to use a drill, as well as learning a lesson in empathy. The inspiring work that takes place in this donated warehouse space in smalltown Ohio demonstrates just how much good can come out of self-sacrifice, love, and empathy for others. We all left wondering what we could do to help and motivated to find other opportunities to serve.

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