AZ Pawn Donates 60 Motorized Wheelchairs to the Handicapped This Christmas
Industry: Non Profit & Charity
Pawnbroker hopes to bring annual motorized wheelchair giveaway to national spotlight
NORWICH, CONNECTICUT (PRUnderground) December 19th, 2015
For the last 6 years, Phil Pavone, owner of AZ Pawn in Norwich, Connecticut has been buying and taking donations of unwanted motorized wheelchairs,refurbishing them and giving them away to the handicapped at Christmas. He calls it “The Gift of Mobility Giveaway”, and to date has given away almost 300 motorized wheelchairs.
Each November he advertises for those in need to write in and “Tell him their Story” as to what their handicaps are, then he matches the chair to the individual and has a yearly giveaway party. The letters are heartbreaking..some of the writers are missing limbs,have cancer, MS, ALS, and other issues, and somehow they fall through the cracks and are denied a motorized chair.
Some have not left their homes for years.
These chairs cost from $3500.00 to as much as $50,000.00, putting them well out of reach for those who cannot afford them.The irony is that throughout the U.S. there are thousands of these unwanted chairs out there due to their owners passing on or getting better models. There is no program in place to pass them on to those in need, and Pavone feels that there is no reason that his event shouldn’t become a national event with volunteers in each state doing the same.
“Perhaps in each state they could create a drop off point where unwanted chairs could be donated, refurbished and given away…free of charge,” he said. Pavone is asking everyone throughout the country to get involved by spreading the word. To do so, people can go to YouTube and type in “AZ Pawn gift of mobility 2013” and “AZ Pawn gift of mobility 2014”.
Pavone says that these videos can be placed or forwarded on social media to help raise awareness for the event and offer an example of how others can start similar efforts. At the very least he hopes to open everyone’s eyes and end this needless suffering forever. ”You cannot watch these videos without shedding a tear,” said Pavone.
More information can be found at https:www.azpawn.net/team.
About AZ Pawn
AZ Pawn is the oldest, most trusted pawn shop in Norwich, Connecticut.
