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    WOW TOUCHES LIVES OF CHILDREN IN WHEELCHAIRS

    By PAULA KETTER

    Helping children in wheelchairs build self-esteem, independence, and academic and social skills has made Winners on Wheels (WOW) a nationwide success.

    More than 300 children across the country are members of WOW, a non-profit learning and social program for young people with disabilities that began in l991.The organization is determined to inspire youths in wheelchairs to "be all they can be" and is committed to assisting winners in mainstreaming more easily by offering opportunities to raise self-esteem.

    "When we see the smiling faces, it gives us a warm feeling inside," said Scott Pickle, assistant executive director of WOW.

    Over 40 million Americans have a physical or mental disabilin,~, and 1.1 million of those use wheelchairs.

    "Sunrise Medical, one of the founding partners, saw that the needs of children who are in wheelchairs were not being met and they hooked up with Marilyn Hamilton to start this program," Mr.Pickle said."The need that they saw is still out there and we are still seeing it everyday."

    THE PROGRAM

    I pledge to be tbe best that I can be, so I can take my place in tbe circle, and join with others to make a difference. I am a Winner on Wheels... WOW Let's do it. (WOW Pledge)

    There are Boy and Girl Scout programs, youth soccer leagues and other extracurricular activities that are limited or closed to children with disabilities, so nthe need for leadership training and socialization led to the development of WOW, a coed organization that was one of former President George Bush-s 1,000 "Points of Light.'

    As part of the White House's "Points of Light Initiative" to encourage volunteerism, President Bush honored 1.000 individuals, non-profit groups and companies that were"making a difference in their communities."

    "When we started in 1991, the expectation was to serve children and help children with self-esteem,-- Mr. Pickle said."We have achieved that:'

    WOW members, according to the mission statement, learn to think, solve problems and take risks in a safe learning environrnent.

    Boys and girls, between the ages of 7 and 11, are Go-Carters; youths aged 12-15 are Indy Racers; and teenagers. 16-an-up, are Jr. Pit Crew members.

    "We have four circles with Jr. Pit Crew members.The Circles have role models right in the circle,' Mr. Pickle explained.

    Leaders are adults in charge of the circle and chief mecllanics are parents and legal guarclians.

    ~We are really pleased with the response of the parentsas well as the kids," said West Hacerstraw, NY, leader Nancy Brown, MA, PT. "We are having a wonderful time."

    I pledge to be the best that I can be, so I can take my place in the circle, and join with others to make a difference. I am a Winner on Wheels... WOW. Let's do it.

    (WOW Pledge)

    The program is structured to allow kids to earn "Wheel" awards (much like Boy or Girl Scout merit badges), both as a group and individually. Six spokes (objectives) must be completed in order to earn a wheel, with winners working on 10 to 12 wheels a year.The "Wheels' cover areas such as science and nature, sports and games, arts and crafts, entertainment, interpersonal skills and community service.

    "As a Winner on Wheels, you'll be trying new things, making new friends and exploring the world around you.That's what WOW is all about," said Marilyn Hamilton, in a letter to interested children.

    CIRCLES

    Local circles meet at least twice a month for two hours on Saturdays. WOW's curriculum is designed to make learning through experiences fun and exciting.A unique ritual has been established for each meeting from the opening sound-off ceremony to hub time mini-wheels alld checkerd flag time.

    In April 1991, a pilot circle was established in Fresno, Calif. Today, hundreds of children are being served in 49 circles nationwide.The circles can't have more that 15 kids, Mr. Pickle said, so that each child can have one-on-one interaction with the volunteers.

    "Our goal is to have a circle in every state and internationally," Mr. Pickle said."We are moving toward that. In three short years, we have exploded across the nation.-

    There has been times, Mr. Pickle said, when the program has experienced some "growing pains," with inforrnation or topics that seem "boring to the children, but they just go back to the drawing board and rework the idea.

    "So far, so good,- Mr. Pickle said about the program's success. "The tell-tale sign is on the kids' faces."

    WHEELS

    More than 15 wheels are available. including ones about The Earth and Me (recycling), Wheelchair Basketball (learning the game of basketball),The Buddy System (making friends), and Dollars and Sense (savings accounts, budgeting and spending). "Every six months, we set up racing flags and have the children wheel down through the flags to get their wheels," Mr. Pickle said. "We are showing that success is something wonderful. The kids are all smiling. It's wonderful.

    All badges are not just about arts nand crafts, sports and entertainment. Some involve educational learning, like banking and how to balance a checkbook.

    "During the banking badge, the kids visited a bank to see how things run," he said."We try to give them some extracurricular activities that they will enjoy.-

    The Paul Newman Foundation sponsored a cooking wheel, and Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers visited the Fresno circle and donated money to the program.

    "The kids really enjoyed the nutrition wheel," Mr. Pickle said."They got to learn how to make butter and whip crearn."

    For information about WOW, call (209) 292-2171 .

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