Two years ago, Brad and Jen Sumrok attended a gala held by Chair the Love – a Florida based 501(c)3 whose mission is to provide wheelchairs and mobility related items and services to those in need locally and abroad. They were so moved by the charity’s purpose and overwhelming need for wheelchairs, that the Sumroks decided to take action, in hopes of spreading the message further. They began promoting Chair The Love through their business, Brad Sumrok Apartment Investor Mastery, and with the generous donations from their students, coupled with the Sumrok’s pledge to match the donations, they were able to raise the $42,000 (and then some) needed to deliver a full container of 280 wheelchairs to those in need!
This past January, NuView executives, Glen Mather and Jason DeBono, with their wives Loida and Christina, joined Brad and Jen Sumrok’s group of nearly 25 people to travel to Ecuador, for a Chair the Love wheelchair distribution. The group worked closely with the local Rotary Club, and through them, was able to find and distribute 280 wheelchairs to those in need in Guayaquil and surrounding towns.
Many of the people that received wheelchairs depend on their family members to carry them from place to place, while some have never even been able to leave their homes because of the lack of mobility options. Because of this distribution, 280 people – both children and adults alike – are now able to move freely and comfortably.
“Jen and I were really looking for an organization to get behind, and loved the mission and opportunity to work closely with Chair the Love,” said Brad. “Once we realized how $150 could buy a wheelchair and change someone’s life for the better, there was no other option but to be all in.”
In addition to distributing wheelchairs, the entire group was able to get a tour of the town and even visit a local k-8 school that the local Rotarians fund. Brad and Jen were so inspired by the school and the children that attended, they challenged the group to raise the remaining funds needed to finish a current expansion project to add 9th-12th grades to the school. Within a week, the Brad Sumrok Apartment Investment Mastery students stepped up in a big way, coupled with the Sumrok’s generous matching donation, along with a match from NuView Trust Company, to raise enough funds to finish the project! This endeavor will now allow the students to enjoy a full education through 12th grade at this wonderful school and provide graduates with significant opportunities otherwise not afforded to them.
“Thanks to the vision and generosity of the Sumrok’s and their students, this school will continue to provide impoverished students an opportunity for a great education for many years to come,” said Jason DeBono, President of Chair the Love and Vice President of NuView Trust Company. “Its amazing how quickly a vision can become a reality in the hands of the right people.”
The school addition is set to be complete at the end of April, just in time for the new school year!
If you’d like to get involved or learn more about this wonderful organization, visit www.chairthelove.org or contact us at bwelch@nuviewira.com. We’d love to talk to you about the charity, upcoming events and what you’re able to do in your community to help.
By Grace Nelson
