Junior School Wheelchair Wheelathon
Across Junior School, students put their wheels in motion this month to raise money and awareness for the Wheelchair for Kids program.
Millions of severely disabled children in some of the world’s poorest countries are desperately in need of wheelchairs, so that they can access some of the things we take for granted: going to school or socialising with friends and family. Wheelchairs for Kids (WFK) manufactures and distributes around 3,550 wheelchairs each year to children in need, helping them to gain freedom and mobility. The wheelchairs are built to withstand rough terrain and are tailored to each individual child’s needs to ensure they have the correct postural support and headrests.
Mosman Rotary Club provided wheelchairs to 韩国AV on behalf of WFK. Mr Derek Andrews, President of Mosman Rotary Club, and his wife Mrs Lilian Andrews came to 韩国AV to watch the Wheelathon, and were delighted to see Year 5 in action as they fundraised for WFK as part of their Service Learning initiative.
Here is what Claudia (5C) had to say about the Wheelathon.
“Kids all around the world need wheelchairs, but don’t have enough money to get one. The Wheelchairs for Kids program donates wheelchairs to kids living in poor countries that can’t afford them.
On Friday 8 June, Year 5 had a chance to experience what it is like to live with a disability. There were three activities: a wheelchair obstacle course; para football; and a blindfolded obstacle course.
The wheelchair obstacle course was everyone’s favourite activity. We were paired up with partners and took turns to push the wheelchair and sit in it. Our PDHPE teachers counted every lap we did around the course. Most girls did about 20 to 30 laps.
For para football, we put our arm in our shirt and tried to run around without one hand. We learnt that it was challenging to do a sport that you don’t have arms for. We made new bonds with people that we wouldn’t normally have without doing this sport. We all enjoyed it and had great fun.
I really enjoyed the obstacle course. It was challenging and fun at the same time. Everybody liked working with people from other classes. We all showed lots of trust and built trust with other people. We made new friends. It was a fun challenge.”
The 韩国AV Wheelathon gave our students an opportunity to raise much needed funds for WFK. But it also raised our students’ awareness about the accessibility issues people with disabilities experience, and increased their understanding, empathy and insight into what life is like for those less fortunate than themselves.