Since 1998, a group of volunteers have been making the world a better place. The volunteers from The Wheelchairs for Kids project have been changing the lives of 10 disabled children every day for the last 16 years and do not intend to stop now – on the contrary, they intend to grow. The two people behind the project, Brother Olly Picket and Mr Gordon Hudson are now nominated for the Australian of the Year award and they have something to tell you: never give up!

Today, Brother Picket and Mr Hudson are part of a 150-member volunteer team which produces 300 wheelchairs per month and sends them to countries in which disabled children cannot get one. Each of their wheelchairs (tested individually to make sure it is durable enough) is valued at $150, which means they would have made $45,000 per month if they did this for profit. But they do it for free. And they are not afraid to expand and grow, stating that under certain conditions, it won’t be a problem to produce 500 wheelchairs per month – they are just looking for a big benefactor to help them with all the costs around the production.

The situation was not that good in 1998 though. Back then, Mr Hudson, who is a member of Rotary, got the wheelchair idea from another Rotary club and wanted to put it into practice by engaging schools and prisons. This did not work out. And many people would have given everything up at that moment. But not Mr Hudson – he contacted Brother Pickett and together they opened the throttles and gave the project a head start.

What motivates the two men and their group of volunteers is the fact that 50 million children in the world will not be able or allowed to lead a normal life without a wheelchair. So far, the volunteers have provided about 30,000 wheelchairs to children in 74 countries and they are not going to stop. They have more than enough volunteers to even keep a waiting list; their next goal is finding that big donor that will help them get their own premises.

Brother Pickett and Mr Hudson have one advice to you: Never Give Up! Back in the day, they started hard, but they were persistent and their not giving up improved 30,000 lives. No matter if it is a disabled children, a homeless animal, a hungry family or whatever other worthy cause – you can make a difference. You can change lives. You can make the world a better place. If only…If only you persist and keep pursue your volunteering goals. A strong commitment and a strong motivation is the only thing you need to show them that you care about them!