Defender Mobility Restoring Heroes Movement
Through a generous anonymous donation, POAM President Jim Tignanelli helped facilitate a gift of a Trac Fab chair to a veteran named Earnest Lawrence, in Georgia through the nonprofit, Defender Mobility.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Defender Mobility Foundation can gift all-terrain wheelchairs to military and police heroes with injury, limb loss, and limited mobility. For their selfless sacrifice for our safety and freedom, the mission of Defender Mobility is to give these heroes back the pleasures of fishing and playing with children and grandchildren–everyday things that those with full mobility take for granted.
One such recipient of the Trac Chair is Mr. Lawrence. Learn more from POAM’s President.
Earnest Lawrence on the Move Again With a New Trac Fab Chair
In September of 2021, I received an email through the Defender Mobility “nomination submission” tab. Cheryl Lawrence wrote one of the most touching narratives I’ve seen while describing her husband Earnest and his disability. He suffers from “Cerebral Small Vessel Disease,” and this causes severe migraines which then paralyze his left side for 3-4 days at a time. The paralysis occurs without much notice and he often falls to the ground when it strikes.
The issue I had was that Earnest and Cheryl live in Woodstock, GA. We generally operate on very small margins here at Defender and I like to be ready if there is a need for a Michigan first responder or veteran. I was blessed, some years ago, to be contacted by a group that chose to remain anonymous. They had contacted me after we had delivered a chair to Aaron Alonso in 2015. I contacted my anonymous friends and explained my predicament. They immediately put me in touch with the “Patriot Fund”. Only a short time later, I received confirmation that Patriot Fund would not only purchase the chair but they would reimburse me and Ed Humpert (Trac Fab distributor) for airfare to and from Atlanta. This allowed us to have the chair shipped to a church near the Lawrence home. Ultimately, we arranged for a surprise delivery to Earnest while he dined with his family at the “Semper Fi” restaurant in Woodstock, GA!
The accompanying video was sent to me from the Lawrence family. It has been some six months since we delivered the Trac Fab to Earnest. The video gives you his thoughts on the impact it has made on his life (and his family’s!).
This was among more than thirty Trac Fab chairs delivered through Defender Mobility. I have always believed that is important to tell all of those who share our site that we continue to do all that your donations allow us to do. Earnest’s message says it all.
Jim Tignanelli, POAM President and founder of Defender Mobility Foundation
Support Defender Mobility
If you would like to support the continued efforts to restore mobility to selfless American heroes to receive their freedom back, please consider donating online to Defender Mobility.
Please nominate a military and police hero with an injury, limb loss, or limited mobility for a Trac Fab chair now.
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