What do a Miata, a Onewheel, go-karts, and wheelchairs have in common? HASHIRU YOROKOBI: the exhilaration, freedom, and joy felt when you’re in motion; a feeling that many passionate drivers want to share with the world. ND SUN Miata Club of Southern California is parked again for their annual charity drive, this time supporting the Free Wheelchair Mission to help transform as many lives as possible through the gift of mobility.
ND SUN was started by Tustin Mazda’s MX-5 Specialist Omar, and his wife Carrie. They’ve been organizing drives for over two years, regularly taking large groups of Miatas through the many winding roads that Southern California has to offer.
Omar states “… the Miata isn’t the fastest car out there, but we’re not driving all over to celebrate speed. We celebrate HASHIRU YOROKOBI, and right now we want to share that feeling with the people who need it on the most basic level. Mobility wasn’t really on my radar until I started riding a Onewheel two years ago: I started finding so many places that were missing an accessible ramp which could not just make things a bit more convenient for me as a rider, but a LOT less challenging for anybody bound by a wheelchair. It took a quick Google search to come across the Free Wheelchair Mission, which really opened my eyes to the many people out there who can’t move with their own legs (or wheels) and need that first level of help getting off the ground.”
Free Wheelchair Mission is an Irvine-based charity which has designed a very affordable [$96] wheelchair to distribute at no cost to people in the developing world, immensely changing the lives of those who need it most.
“Motion’s not just therapeutic;” says Omar, “it’s a huge privilege most of us take for granted, and what enables so much of what we can accomplish in life. For the cost of something you or I can burn through quite quickly (a single tire, for example), you can change someone’s life forever by giving them a wheelchair—not many charities offer that kind of transformative value.”
ND SUN’s Miatas for Mobility campaign was highlighted by a fun evening sponsored by Tustin Mazda and Mazda USA. Dozens of the club’s current-generation MX-5 Miatas gathered at Mazda R&D—the famous Roadster’s grounds of conception—where drivers enjoyed catering by TK Burgers, took plenty of photos at sunset, and raffled off fan merchandise provided by Mazda. 60 drivers in total participated, each donating at least one wheelchair to someone in need. As a club that usually gets together to drive, you can’t expect them to sit still for too long; once the sun went away for the evening, the Roadsters drove off in caravan to a private closure of K1 Speed Irvine, where they enjoyed unlimited electric go-kart racing for a couple of hours.
As of October 28th, the club has raised over $8,700 in donations which are set to transform dozens of lives. ND SUN would like to thank their sponsors, Tustin Mazda & Mazda USA, and every generous individual helping out with a donation of any capacity on their campaign page: [https://give.classy.org/ndsun].
