The SCOOTER Store Answers Local News Viewer's Need for Power Chair

LAURENS, S.C., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Resident Sabrina Ahmed is missing a hip; she has to shuffle from room-to-room very slowly to get anything done in her home. To make things easier on herself, she contacted a local mobility provider and ordered a power wheelchair through her insurance coverage. Unfortunately, the chair didn't work, and she couldn't find help to repair it.

That is when Ahmed decided to call "7 On Your Side" news (WSPA-TV). WSPA Anchor Dianne Derby was touched by her plight and wanted to help. Derby did some research and contacted The SCOOTER Store's Greenville Healthcare Relations Consultant, Lindsey Addyman. Addyman made a few calls of her own.

On Wednesday morning The SCOOTER Store, with the help of the ADL Foundation, provided Ahmed with a Jazzy Select power chair at her home in Laurens. Addyman personally made the final delivery. The power chair was donated under The SCOOTER Store's "Gift of Mobility" program, which provides mobility equipment and assistance to those who do not have the resources or insurance to obtain power wheelchairs and scooters.

"The ADL Foundation was founded to provide power chairs and scooters to those without insurance, and we sometimes have recipients we can't help," said Alvin Lemar, founder and director of the nonprofit organization based in New Mexico. "That is why we are extremely fortunate we can call The SCOOTER Store.  After being in a wheelchair for 12 years, I know what Ms. Ahmed is going through, and this gift will make a world of difference in her life."

The power chair will help Ahmed regain the freedom and independence she lost when her hip was removed. She can move room-to-room in her home effortlessly, leaving the days of "pivoting," a mobility technique she learned in physical therapy, behind her.

"It is sad that Ms. Ahmed had to take her story to a news station to find help," said Doug Harrison, Founder, President and CEO of The SCOOTER Store. "We started the Gift of Mobility program because we understand that mobility, and the ensuing independence, is fundamental to people's dignity. Giving her independence back to her is why we are here and why we leave work every day with a smile."

Harrison and his wife, Susanna, started the Gift of Mobility program in December 2002 to help people like Sabrina Ahmed improve their quality of life by assisting in achieving their independence and mobility. Since then, the outreach program has worked with nonprofit groups around the country to donate power wheelchairs, scooters and manual wheelchairs, valued at more than $350,000 a year to individuals and community service organizations, enabling them to provide freedom and independence to people with limited mobility.

About The SCOOTER Store

Since 1991, The SCOOTER Store has helped provide freedom and independence to more people with limited mobility than any other company in the nation. Forty percent employee-owned, the company primarily offers power mobility equipment, including power wheelchairs, scooters, lifts, ramps, and accessories, in 48 states and Puerto Rico. The SCOOTER Store currently holds more than 30 percent of the current U.S. market in the power mobility industry and is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care. The goal of The SCOOTER Store is to create an opportunity for every American senior to live their entire life safely and confidently at home.

SOURCE The SCOOTER Store