Wheel-a-thon event raises awareness for the disabled

Catherine McDonald and her son Jeremy, 14, left, make their around the track Saturday (April 19, 2008) during the third annual Wheel-a-thon sponsored by the Life Center for Independent Living at the Shirk Center in Bloomington. Bloomington. (Pantagraph/CARLOS T. MIRANDA)

Wheels were spinning Saturday to raise money for programs to serve people with disabilities in four central Illinois counties.

The Wheel-a-thon sponsored by the Life Center for Independent Living included a marathon of wheelchairs speeding around the indoor track at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center.

In addition to the opportunity for some serious exercise, the fundraiser provided a forum for information and awareness about programs that provide support for disabled people who want to live independent lives.

LIFE CIL provides direct services to about 1,800 individuals a year in McLean, DeWitt, Ford and Livingston counties.

Event coordinator Marianne Cavanaugh-Wozniak said money raised at the Wheel-a-thon will help cover the cost of services not covered by grants, such as a program to loan equipment to disabled individuals. The group had a goal of raising $25,000 from Saturday’s event.

Tim Harshbarger, a member of the LIFE CIL board, considers wheelchairs a powerful symbol for all forms of disability. The chairs that offer people the ability to move may be viewed as a symbol of hardship, said Harshbarger, who is blind.

“People tend to focus on what a person can’t do. When you see people using a scooter or wheelchair, that’s really not the case. These are devices of liberation, not a prison,” said Harshbarger.

Harshbarger and a team of eight family members raised funds and participated in the wheelchair track event.

Mike Ready was able to walk for 40 years before a fall in December 2005 left him paralyzed.

The cost of living independently can be high, said Ready, who works as a Realtor and plans to design homes for disabled residents. Ready said the motorized wheelchair that transported him around Shirk Center cost $16,000.

“An accident can happen. Life can change in a minute,” said Ready.

Activities at Saturday’s fundraiser included a puppet show aimed at teaching children respect for people with disabilities. Students For An Accessible Community from Parkside Junior High and Normal Community West High School performed “Kids on the Block,” a play featuring characters with disabilities.
--Pantagraph.com