Equip Your Neighbor Cleveland
Serving the Needy of Lake County and beyond
equipyourneighborcleveland.org | Frank Ashton #440-428-6743 | 4215 Dayton Rd. Madison, Ohio 44057

“Equip Your Neighbor Cleveland” serving Lake, Geauga, & Cuyahoga counties is set to have their first annual Medical Equipment Drive on Saturday, November 17th. Eleven sites are designated to be drop off stations:

• Great Lakes Mall in Mentor

• Madison
• Mentor
• Eastlake

Geauga County Wal-Mart in

• Chardon

• Cleveland Heights
• Mayfield Heights
• Garfield Heights
• Parma
• Brooklyn

Greater Cleveland residents are being asked to donate any durable medical equipment or assistive technology including wheelchairs, walkers, commodes, crutches, etc.

This drive is patterned after the very successful Saint Louis, Missouri program that collected over 3,000 pieces of equipment last April. Frank Ashton, Cleveland’s Program Director, brought together several hospitals including Lake, Metro, The Cleveland Clinic and others, along with the many disability agencies to promote such a program in Cleveland.

Two individuals came from the Saint Louis Equip Your Neighbor program to explain how they developed their program. The goal is accept and redistribute mostly used durable medical equipment to people who fall through the cracks because they have no insurance, can’t afford to buy, or do not qualify for government help. In talking to disability agencies, they indicated that many individuals would benefit from this program.

The Equip Your Neighbor Cleveland Program is designed to establish community partners including individuals, educators, businesses, governmental bodies, and health agencies. Some of the partners who have come forward include:

• Cleveland Clinic who helped in getting the program off the ground.



• Fred Close who has helped finance the program.



• Alecia Jones & Thea Van Horn who are helping direct the program.



• Traycne Caumartin & Donna Gunning from the Saint Louis Equip Your Neighbor Partnership who helped in getting the program in Cleveland started.



• Madison Ministerial Association who are letting Equip Your Neighbor use their 5013C in order to be able to apply for grants to fund the program.



• Mr. Sam Rutigliano, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, who was on the Fred Griffith Show and promoted the Nov 17th Drive!



• Bennett Machine & Stamping in Madison, who is lending us a 17,000 square foot storage building and donated 2 banners



• Auburn Career Center in Concord, are involving their students who will be involved in helping to repair equipment;



• Wal-Mart stores in the Greater Cleveland Area have volunteered to be drop off sites;



• Subway Shops who will help feed volunteers on the drive day;



• The Crockett Team of Hanna Reality who are lending us two trucks;



• Lake Hospital system who are lending us two trucks and volunteers to man five sites;



• U Haul Truck Rental who are also helping us with trucks;



• Zapp Trailers & Signs of Madison who have helped us with 11 3ft by 10ft banners at a low cost of only $90 each; and individuals who have donated money for the expenses associated with the banners and drive.



• Lake, Geauga, and Cuyahoga County Commissioners who each are promoting the program with a resolution to Equip Your Neighbor.
  
  
• Cuyahoga Co Commissioners Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora who donated 2 banners.



• Classic of Madison who is sponsoring a live broadcast from Wal-Mart in Madison on Rt. 20 from 1 until 3pm.

We encourage anyone who has equipment in their garage and don’t want to throw away such valuable equipment to bring it to your nearest designated site. This is your chance to give it to someone who is in need of such equipment.

Medical equipment is very expensive. A single wheel chair can cost from $500 to upwards of $15,000. Other equipment is also costly and when someone needs it, we hope we can get it to them without having to wait weeks and even months!

If you have any questions please call Frank Ashton at 440-428-6743 or go to our web site at www.equipyourneighborcleveland.org. Our motto is “Doing More For More People”. You can help make this motto become a reality!