{"id":18781,"date":"2025-12-18T04:42:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T04:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/au\/?p=18781"},"modified":"2025-12-18T04:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T04:43:00","slug":"wheelchairs-for-kids-from-wangarra-to-wherever-its-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocs.com\/au\/news\/wheelchairs-for-kids-from-wangarra-to-wherever-its-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"Wheelchairs for Kids – From Wangarra to Wherever Its Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

On a recent morning in Wangara, Western Australia, six of our OCS and Midcity colleagues stepped into a bustling factory as volunteers for a morning.<\/p>\n

Wheelchairs for Kids is a working space, not a showcase. Tools are laid out. Parts are stacked within reach. Volunteers work steadily, checking measurements, adjusting fittings, and moving on to the next step.<\/p>\n

By the end of each day, around 30 all-terrain wheelchairs are built, checked and packed \u2013 each one accompanied by two blankets and two soft toys \u2013 before beginning a journey across the world to a child who would otherwise have little or no independent mobility.<\/p>\n

After safety briefings and PPE, colleagues were trained on specific stages of the build process and joined other volunteers on the factory floor. They weren\u2019t observing, they were doing \u2013 gathering components, checking measurements, assembling parts and working to the same standards as everyone else, contributing to the day\u2019s production target.<\/p>\n

Martina Windsor, QHSE Manager, was delighted to be one of the day\u2019s volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteering at Wheelchair for Kids is so much more than just lending a hand: we all gained new skills, met amazing people, and it\u2019s so rewarding knowing that by giving your time (or a contribution), you\u2019re literally changing lives across the world. The impact is incredible \u2013 they\u2019re not just wheelchairs, they\u2019re doorways to education, play and independence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over morning tea, Brother Olly Pickett (2025 Senior Australian of the Year) talked about the charity’s history and the difference it makes around the world. A short video followed (click here to watch)<\/a>, showing an inspirational nine-year-old boy named Chosen being fitted with his wheelchair \u2013 making it clear what all the careful measuring, assembling and checking is really for \u2013 the ability to move, to get to school, and to take part in everyday life.<\/p>\n

Founded in Western Australia in 1996, Wheelchairs for Kids has now delivered more than 66,000 wheelchairs to children in over 80 countries, free of charge. Much of that work is carried out by volunteers, who return day after day because they believe access to mobility changes what a child can do and how their family can support them.<\/p>\n

Christine Johnson, OCS Company Secretary, said the visit built naturally on the relationship formed last year, when the Perth branch donated 38 wheelchairs to the charity.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing back this year to volunteer felt like a practical next step,\u201d Christine said. \u201cThe work happening in Wangara has an impact well beyond Western Australia, connecting a local place with better outcomes for children and families around the world. Being invited to return reflects the strength of that ongoing connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership with Wheelchairs for Kids sits naturally alongside OCS\u2019s mission of making people and places the best they can be. The wheelchairs built in Wangara are delivered to countries including Cambodia, Thailand and India \u2014 communities where OCS operates and supports local customers.<\/p>\n

Soon, the wheelchairs built that day will leave Wangara, bound for children and families waiting around the world. What begins as careful work at a bench becomes part of someone\u2019s daily life: a way to get to school, to move independently, to take part. From there, the story belongs to them.<\/p>\n <\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a recent morning in Wangara, Western Australia, six of our OCS and Midcity colleagues stepped into a bustling factory as volunteers for a morning.<\/p>\n

Wheelchairs for Kids is a working space, not a showcase. Tools are laid out. Parts are stacked within reach. Volunteers work steadily, checking measurements, adjusting fittings, and moving on to the next step.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":10000025309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[228,186],"country":[],"class_list":["post-18781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-type","tag-australia","tag-social-value"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWheelchairs for Kids - From Wangarra to Wherever Its Needed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wheelchairs for Kids is a working space, not a showcase. Tools are laid out. Parts are stacked within reach. 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