TAMPA, Fla., June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the
National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) announced
the four winners of the 2015 National Mobility Awareness Month
Local Heroes Contest on National TV. The campaign finished with 914
Local Hero online entries that received 1.3 million votes. The
sponsors for the wheelchair accessible vehicles are Chrysler,
Toyota Mobility, and Valley Honda Dealers, with the conversions
donated by BraunAbility and Vantage Mobility International
(VMI) and ElDorado Mobility.
Chairiot Mobility is providing its electric rear-entry Chairiot
Solo.
The winners are Collene Van
Noord, of Holland Michigan,
senior category, caregivers Kym and Rick
Daniels the parents of Kaitlyn
Daniels of Derry,
Pennsylvania, Cynthia Noonan
of Emeryville, California and
Jessica Runnels of Oakley, California. Of the four vehicles
provided, two are designated to special category winners, which are
a senior and a caregiver. Each winner received enough votes
to get them to the top 10 percent and then an independent selection
panel of industry experts reviewed the stories to select the Local
Heroes who are making a difference for others. Van Noord writes and manages a blog dedicated to
educating others on spinal cord injury. Her blog has 1,300
followers that inspires others who are also facing mobility
challenges. She became paralyzed as the result of automobile
accident. Kaitlyn Daniels, 10 years
old, started Kidz That Kare a program in her community that
provides local families with clothes, toiletries, toys and
groceries. Noonan worked for the ALS Association and is a board
member of the Bay Area Outreach and Recreational Program. She
suffers with a rare autoimmune disease called Transverse Myelitis
that has made her a C5 quadriplegic. Runnels established the
East Bay Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury Support group for
survivors, family members, caregivers and friends after she
suffered a cervical spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed.
"The Local Heroes Contest is a rewarding part of what we do at
NMEDA", said Dave Hubbard, NMEDA
CEO. "Each year the awareness for mobility challenges and solutions
continues to grow and we thank our members, contest sponsors and
the hundreds of communities and thousands of individuals who
rallied this year to make this special once again. I also
want to personally thank the millions who took the time to read and
learn about all of the Local Heroes in our contest and then cast
their votes."
About National Mobility Awareness Month:
May is National Mobility Awareness Month and is the annual
celebration that encourages seniors, veterans, caregivers and
people with disabilities to enjoy active, mobile lifestyles.
Founded in 1989 as a not-for-profit trade association, the National
Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) supports the
awareness month with the assistance of approximately 600 mobility
equipment dealers, manufacturers and driver rehabilitation
specialists located in the United
States and Canada dedicated
to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. For
updates, please visit MobilityAwarenessMonth.com, as well
as Facebook, Twitter (@NMEDAcom)
and Pinterest.
About the National Mobility Equipment Dealers
Association:
Founded in 1989 as a non-profit trade association, the National
Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) supports more than
600 mobility equipment dealers, manufacturers and driver
rehabilitation specialists in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to expanding opportunities
for people with disabilities. NMEDA is the sponsor of National
Mobility Awareness Month each May and the Local Heroes Contest that
celebrates life moving forward. For information on NMEDA, please
visit www.nmeda.com, as well as Facebook and Twitter. Visit
MobilityAwarenessMonth.com for the national awareness month.
For more information contact:
Donna P. Tinoco,
APR
donna.tinoco@evokad.com
407.341.1104
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SOURCE National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association