Don Schoendorfer with wheelchair recipient
Edna DeFord, Jean Kotula
PebbleCreek Community Church (PCCC) is happy to welcome Don Schoendorfer, the dynamic founder of Free Wheelchair Missions. The entire PebbleCreek community is invited to hear him speak at PCCC’s Moments for Missions service at 9 a.m. on Feb. 22. Don is a biomedical engineer with an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and a PhD in mechanical engineering from MIT. He is an inventor and holds more than 50 patents in the biomedical field.
Over 20 years ago, Don directed his engineering talents to the problem of immobility in developing countries. He recognized there were 80 million people with disabilities in the developing world who needed a wheelchair that could function in rough terrain. Working in his garage, Don built a prototype wheelchair that would become the iconic GEN 1 MODEL, originally made of a standard plastic lawn chair with two mountain bike tires mounted to a steel frame. After building 100 of these prototypes, he took four of them on a 2001 mission trip to India. Working with local ministries, disabled individuals who received the chairs began to enjoy an avenue of freedom they had not dreamed possible. Thus, Free Wheelchair Missions was born.
At PCCC on Feb. 22, Don will not only be sharing the success of this mission in many developing countries throughout the decades, but will also be unveiling his latest wheelchair—the GEN 4 JOY MODEL The new model will begin distribution in early 2026, has expanded sizes from XS to XXL and is designed to have a significantly longer life span than previous models.
PebbleCreek Community Church is a non-denominational church that meets each Sunday at 9 a.m. in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom. You are invited to attend our services and enjoy wonderful music, solid Biblical preaching, fellowship, and an emphasis on Missions. You can view our morning worship service on YouTube.com/@ChurchPCC/Videos or follow us on Facebook: PebbleCreek Community Church—Goodyear, AZ. You can also stay connected thru our church website: pebblecreekcommunitychurch.com.