Ministry delivers rebuilt power wheelchairs to less fortunate

Donated wheelchairs get a second life thanks to Merritt Island ministry

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – Ron Eaglecloud's two-car garage can hold over 20 motorized wheelchairs and scooters.

"Two, four six, eight," he said, counting them off two by two, making sure to note the differences between them. "If it has a key, that's a scooter. A joystick, that's a wheelchair."

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Eaglecloud sits surrounded by both, many of them torn apart.

The machines are awaiting a spring or a battery, or any number of parts, to arrive from vendors across the country.

Eaglecloud knows exactly what each one needs to get back in service. The retired auto mechanic taught himself how to repair them, and once they're moving again, he's quick to find them a new home.

The Wheelchair Ministry has given away 214 powered wheelchairs and scooters over the last seven years.

"They go fast," Eaglecloud said. "On a good week, we'll get rid of three or four."

The ministry works in partnership with the Islander Alliance Church in Merritt Island. Pastor Tom Stobie said he's proud of the ministry and what it has accomplished.

"We have a number of ministries where we just try to demonstrate love of God to people in practical ways," he says. "This is one of the most effective ways that we do that."

Stobie said the Wheelchair Ministry is very selective in who gets a free wheelchair. The recipient has to demonstrate that he or she both needs one and can't afford it.

"There's a lot of people who want them but really don't need them," he said.

For those who do, it can change their life. 

"We've found a lot of people who desperately need them, people who haven't been outside of their house in years," he said.

Eaglecloud said the parts can be expensive. For years, he collected cans and scrap metal to support the ministry. Health problems forced him to stop, and the organization now relies on donations.

"If people want to donate (a wheelchair), that's great. We'll take them. If they want to donate money to fix them, we'll take that, too," he said.

Eaglecoud's garage is packed, but he said there's always room for one more.  

All donations go through the Islander Alliance Church, 2450 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island. The church's phone number is 321-453-0770. 


About the Author:

Paul is a Florida native who graduated from the University of Central Florida. As a multimedia journalist, Paul enjoys profiling the people and places that make Central Florida unique.

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