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BAGHDAD, Iraq (March 24, 2009) - Eighty-two
Iraqi kids found a new reason to smile, thanks to efforts from
Iraqi national police officers and U.S. Paratroopers in the Rusafa
district of Baghdad, March 23.
Dubbed Operation Enhanced Mobility, officers from 2nd NP
Division and Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division, presented the new wheelchairs to disabled children during
a humanitarian effort in the northeast section of the city.
The wheelchairs, donated by Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, are
adjustable and designed for growing children. Officials said that
unlike low quality wheelchairs, which often do not fit a person
correctly, these wheelchairs will adjust with the child's growth
thus allowing the chairs to be used for several years.
Brad Blauser, founder of Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, said
individuals and organizations in the U.S. donated the funding that
made the delivery of pediatric wheelchairs possible.
More than half of the wheelchairs donated during the day were
funded by 10-year-old Ben Werdegar, of Woodside, Calif. Ben heard
about the program online in February 2008 and decided he wanted to
help the children of Iraq.
"Ben decided he would play his guitar and raise money for the
Iraqi children on the streets of San Francisco," said Blauser.
"Since that time, Ben has played most weekends for more than 52
weeks, raising over $13,000 to help the children of Iraq. He
deserves a huge amount of recognition for his commitment and
dedication in helping disabled Iraqi kids."
Blauser founded the organization in 2005 at the request of
military officials in the city of Mosul after Soldiers observed
children dragging themselves on the ground due to birth defects
such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida and has since given away
over 800 wheelchairs all over Iraq.
The wheelchairs, designed by ROC Wheels in Bozeman, Mont., are
designed for rough terrain. Each wheelchair is valued at $3,500 and
funded entirely through donations. The U.S. government ships the
wheelchairs to Blauser overseas for free.
"This was an excellent opportunity to show the population how
the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces are working
together to provide for the people they represent and protect,"
said Capt. Jesse Stewart, the commander for Troop C, 5th Battalion,
73rd Cavalry Regiment.
Blauser hopes he can start to manufacture the wheelchairs in
Iraq in order to help more disabled children and help the local
economy. Blauser said that making the chairs locally is important;
shipping them from the U.S and getting them on the ground in Iraq
can take around four to six months.
"I can only distribute a few hundred wheelchairs per year
because of limited manufacturing capacity," said the Dallas native.
"This is why it's so important to get manufacturing going locally
if I'm really going to make significant progress in Iraq in helping
disabled kids get the wheelchairs they need."
Blauser added his goal is to produce 50,000 wheelchairs over the
next five years to give to needy children in the Baghdad area. The
long-term goal is to have every disabled child in Iraq provided
with a free pediatric wheelchair, regardless of their ability to
pay.
The combined forces plan to donate additional wheelchairs to
needy children in the weeks to come.
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