Since its inception, the Knights of Columbus has aligned itself with many charitable organizations, raising both money and awareness of local and international causes.

Recently, a new association has given the Knights of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter a new connection in addition to hope to people in need around the world.

Since 2005, the Knights have collaborated with the Wheelchair Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Northern California that delivers wheelchairs to children, teenagers and adults who need the rolling mover but cannot afford to purchase one.

Founded in 2000 and the brainchild of Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring, the Wheelchair Foundation has to date delivered more than 700,000 wheelchairs to people in 150 countries around the world. Part of the organization's success is connections with service groups --- and the Knights of Columbus have proven to be a monumental link between those in need and those willing to help.

"It's a very simple program that everyone can immediately understand," says Dan Moberg, KofC Wheelchair Committee Chairman for the San Gabriel Valley Chapter.

Along with his fellow Knights, Moberg is inspired when he hears how wheelchairs change people's lives. Reports suggest that for every wheelchair delivered, at least 10 lives --- from family members to neighbors --- are changed.

"You hear stories about someone who was in bed for 10-15 years and then, you put them in a chair and doors open for them," he says. "They can go outside, go into the city, and maybe even get a job. They get their life back."

Working with the Wheelchair Foundation, the Knights first started to sponsor wheelchairs through their individual councils but have recently extended the program to parishes in the San Gabriel Valley through their various Wheelchair Sunday events.

"We decided to introduce this beyond our reach because it's such an exciting and rewarding program," says Moberg, a parishioner of St. Therese in Alhambra.

Indeed, the first Wheelchair Sunday held last September at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Pasadena was a downright success. Six weeks prior to the event, the bulletin teased parishioners about Wheelchair Sunday telling them to come and expect something "unbelievable. Don't forget your checkbook."

On Wheelchair Sunday, parishioners at each Mass were told about the Wheelchair Foundation, watched a short video describing the program and learned that a simple donation of $75 would result in a wheelchair.

Parishioners gave pennies, dollars and more. All in all, more than $21,000 was raised at Assumption for the cause.

With the success of the first Wheelchair Sunday under their belts, the Knights moved to St. Therese, followed by St. Frances of Rome in Azusa and then St. Denis in Diamond Bar. This summer, Wheelchair Sundays took place at St. Thomas More in Alhambra; the Knights also helped out at a drive in San Antonio Texas where they raised almost $30,000. Upcoming drives are scheduled for St. Peter Claver in Simi Valley and St. Bonaventure in the Oakland area.

To date, more than $180,000 has been raised from these Wheelchair Sundays in addition to KofC council donations. That translates into wheelchairs for more than 2,400 people.

With garnered enthusiasm for the program, Moberg and his fellow Knights are planning to take the program to a state level, telling other KofC councils how they can organize their own Wheelchair Sundays.

The dedication and motivation of the Knights makes this partnership alive.

"The Knights of Columbus was one of the first groups I approached when the organization started," says Chris Lewis, director of the Wheelchair Foundation and a Knight of Columbus, himself.

Living in Camarillo, Lewis --- the son of comedian/actor Jerry Lewis --- remembers working with his father on the famed MDA Telethon during the 1970s. Obviously, that philanthropical experience encouraged Lewis to embrace the Wheelchair Foundation's goals --- to supply as many wheelchairs as they can to the 100 million children, teens and adults worldwide that need one.

On the average, it costs $150 for both wheelchair and delivery. Lewis stresses that the wheelchairs are high quality chairs that would sell retail here for about $500 at medical supply stores. "People can't believe we can produce them so inexpensively, but it's true," he says.

Some countries have greater needs than others do, says Lewis, explaining that land mines in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sierra Leone mean extremely high physical disability rates for many of its citizens. In Angola, land mines have caused disabling injuries to 20 percent of its population.

Lewis is full of stories of how wheelchairs changed and saved lives. A man in Chile who lost his legs because of diabetes finally could, with the help of a wheelchair, go outside and visit friends. A young girl in Vietnam could continue her studies. A man from the Middle East said, "Now, I am a man again. I can hold my head high."

"Our mission crosses all borders, religions, races, creeds and colors," says Lewis who adds that anyone with a need --- from Catholics, Muslims, Jews, etc. --- can get a chair. The foundation works with a network of Non-Governmental Organization (NGO's) to pinpoint needs and distribute the wheelchairs.

The Wheelchair Foundation has a goal of distributing 1 million wheelchairs in the next five years. Lewis is optimistic, and with the help of the KofC, he's positive that number can be reached.

Moberg agrees, adding that the experience so far has shown him that people really do care for one another. "I hear from parishioners how moved they are when they learn about the foundation," he says. "One person told me, 'I've been coming to church all my life and I've never been so moved as I was today. I'm wiping tears from my eyes.'"

The Knights of Columbus San Gabriel Valley Chapter is holding a wheelchair distribution in Mexico City from Oct. 15-19 where some of the chairs purchased this year will be given to those in need. For more information on how to sponsor or attend the event, visit www.kofc-sgvchapter.org or contact Dan Moberg at dlmjakes@aol.com or (818) 414-1381.