Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Ms. Wheelchair Virginia, a nonprofit organization that spotlights disabled Virginians, will move its headquarters from Richmond to the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville next week.
The organization is also considering holding its annual pageant at the rehab center.
Martinsville resident Pam Cobler, the board president of Ms. Wheelchair Virginia, called the move "a win-win situation. There is a lot of opportunity for expansion. The dream is to expand the mission, the awareness and the education."
The organization’s goal, she said, is to raise awareness of the needs and abilities of the disabled.
The organization’s files and notebooks should be moved to Fishersville by early next week, Cobler said.
Keith Burt, the marketing director for Woodrow Wilson Rehab, said that organization had been discussing the move for about a year.
Richmond-based HealthFirst, the organization that had underwritten 90 percent of the costs of operating Ms. Wheelchair Virginia, could no longer afford it.
"Woodrow Wilson Rehab will provide office space, the infrastructure, a computer and phone lines," Burt said. "They will have a home here."
Burt called the move "a great feather for the Valley."
Cobler also said she believes the annual Ms. Wheelchair Virginia pageant will be held in the rehab center auditorium.
"There is a 500-seat auditorium with space for 100 to 200 wheelchairs,’’ she said. "Our challenges will be housing all the wheelchair users and their families. We will need the support of the Fishersville, Staunton and Waynesboro communities."
Corporate sponsors are needed to help with the travel of Ms. Wheelchair Virginia, Cobler said.
Ten or more contestants in Ms. Wheelchair Virginia annually compete for the title, which was awarded March 17 in Richmond.
Contestants must be 100 percent mobility dependent on a wheelchair or motorized wheelchair, Burt said.
This year’s winner, Valerie Lewis of Virginia Beach, will travel across Virginia as the new titleholder.
Lewis already has 20 requests for appearances, Cobler said.
