This weekend, the new Live Oak track will be occupied for at
least 24 consecutive hours as students wheel around and around to
raise money for an organization that provides wheelchairs to
underprivileged children and adults around the world.
This weekend, the new Live Oak track will be occupied for at least 24 consecutive hours as students wheel around and around to raise money for an organization that provides wheelchairs to underprivileged children and adults around the world.
The wheelchair marathon was actually her dad’s idea, said Live Oak Interact President Jessilyn Haines.
“We wanted to come up with an idea to raise our share of the Interact district – 1,000 wheelchairs – and my dad (Live Oak High teacher and water polo coach Mack Haines) thought it was a good idea,” she said Monday.
Interact Club students and their supporters and friends will start the marathon at 7 a.m. on Saturday and continue until 7 a.m. Sunday.
“From Saturday morning ‘til Sunday morning, there will be a wheelchair going constantly,” she said. “One person pushing, one person riding. The only time we will stop is to change people.”
Money raised by Interact in donations will be combined with other Interact clubs in the Interact district, which Jessilyn said extends from Alisal to Oakland and Livermore. Every $75 donated will be matched by the foundation and used to provide a wheelchair.
Volunteers will “wheel” in two-hour shifts, Jessilyn said.
The Rotary Club of Morgan Hill will provide a barbecue for volunteers Saturday evening, and students are bringing snacks to keep them wheeling the rest of the time.
“We’re really hoping to have a lot of people show up,” said Jessilyn. “We’d like to have people out there supporting the marathon participants, but also having fun. It should be a fun atmosphere.”
Jessilyn said she knows there are some Live Oak students in wheelchairs, and she thinks this event will help other students understand in a small way some of the challenges they face.
The Wheelchair Foundation’s motto is “saving lives, one wheelchair at a time.” The foundation says providing people with wheelchairs also gives the gifts of “hope, freedom and mobility.”
Interact clubs exist worldwide. They were created by Rotary International and give students an opportunity to participate in fundraising for organizations, community service projects, school projects, environmental projects and international projects.
To donate to this weekend’s wheelchair marathon if you cannot attend, or for more information, call Live Oak High, 201-6106.
