Many people throughout the world desperately need an electric wheelchair to help them get around throughout the day. If you have a wheelchair you no longer need, you can donate it to a charitable organization to help an individual in need. In New York, many different organizations accept these chairs and maintain lists of deserving recipients. Some will even repair broken or damaged chairs, while others require chairs to be in working order.
Step 1
Drop off electric wheelchair donations at the Muscular Dystrophy Association's New York offices. The MDA maintains a number of offices in Manhattan, including one at Columbia University Medical Center. This organization then donates the chairs to people throughout the U.S. suffering from muscular dystrophy.
Step 2
Contact the Disabled American Veterans office in Lynnbrook, New York. The DAV helps connect those with wheelchairs to donate to disabled soldiers who need chairs. This group may allow you to drop off donations, or put you in touch with a worthy recipient close to your home.
Step 3
Discuss your donation with Project Cure. This group, with offices in nearby Connecticut, accepts medical equipment donations for needy people overseas. Project Cure offers an effective way to ensure your donation reaches an international user without the expense of paying for shipping or finding a recipient on your own.
Step 4
Take broken or damaged electric wheelchair to the NEAT Center at Oak Hill in nearby Connecticut. This group refurbishes electric wheelchairs then donates them to needy patients or those in the community.
Step 5
Donate your chair to the American Medical Resource Foundation. This group has offices throughout New England, and even accepts chairs in need of some restoration or rehabilitation. Once the chair has been restored, the group donates chairs to patients at area hospitals.
Step 6
Call ALS of Greater New York. ALS picks up donations and delivers them to those in need. The group primarily loans equipment to recipients on a short-term basis, then passes the equipment on to others in need.
Step 7
Donate wheelchairs to the Medical Equipment Loan Closet in Kingston, New York. This organization provides electric wheelchair donations for up to three months. Its upstate location makes it convenient for those who wish to donate in the northern portion of the state.
Step 8
Post an ad on Lifenets. Lifenets maintains a wheelchair donation database of people throughout the U.S. Those with chairs to donate post an ad, and Lifenets matches the donation to someone in the same geographic area who can benefit from that equipment. This method provides an effective way of donating your chair directly to a nearby individual in need and still obtaining a receipt for tax purposes.
Tips and Warnings
- Electric wheelchair donations qualify you for federal and state tax deductions in many areas. Always ask for a receipt when making a charitable donation.
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