JONI AND FRIENDS

Joni and Friends vision is to accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community. We are aiming to reach the world’s one billion people affected by disability for Christ through programs offering practical help and resources.

Wheels for the World

Since 1994, Joni and Friends has delivered over 170,000 wheelchairs to people in need through our Wheels for the World program. Our goal is to deliver 200,000 wheelchairs by 2020.

Joni and Friends Wheels for the World program provides a free wheelchair and professional, individualized wheelchair fitting to children affected by disability. The mobility a wheelchair provides changes a life for a child with a disability. Most importanly, each child and their family receives a Bible in their native language, and a local pastor shares the Gospel of Christ with them. The pastor also invites them to become a part of their local church family.

Wheels for the World is not about ‘dropping off a wheelchair.’ It’s about changing the hearts and minds of people. It’s about transforming societies, village by village. Children are being rescued; teenagers and adults are being given a new life through the gift of a wheelchair and a Bible in their native language.

Family Retreat

Joni and Friends Family Retreat program offers a place where families share and learn together about disability-related issues. There are groups available just for men, women, and siblings in a family affected by disability. Family Retreat provides a safe and confidential environment to share feelings and concerns that often go unexpressed. Worship, Bible teaching, and rich fellowship provide the hope of the Gospel by guiding each family member toward a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Joni and Friends serves over 1,300 families across the United States and around the world each year through our Family Retreat and International Family Retreat programs.

Joni and Friends has been offering Family Retreats since 1991 and we have seen that people affected by disabilities are often forgotten, even by churches who may not know how to reach out to the disabled. Joni and Friends is committed to reaching these families through Family Retreat, and then connecting them to a local church community.

Wheels for the World

Joni and Friends is opening closed doors through disability ministry with our Wheels for the World program. We are sharing the hope of Christ with children and families affected by disability by providing free, professionally-fitted wheelchairs and a Bible in their native language to individuals affected by disability in developing nations.

Joni and Friends volunteers collect used but restorable wheelchairs from across the United States. The wheelchairs are then shipped to one of 15 correctional facilities where inmates have been trained and equipped to restore the wheelchairs to like-new condition. The inmates are also impacted by the service they provide, and many stories include the restoration of lives within the prisons. Due to our volunteer-based ministry model, and the many gifts-in-kind donated by corporate partners, the cost to refurbish, ship and deliver a wheelchair and a Bible is $150. Just imagine … $150 changes a life and has eternal impact!

Joni and Friends does not distribute wheelchairs without the necessary training. Each country we serve has been ‘adopted’ by Joni and Friends on a permanent basis, and is key to the lasting presence and impact of the outreach. We ensure that every one of our wheelchair recipients and their family/friends are trained in: proper wheelchair usage, minor maintenance, and the best way to transfer the wheelchair user in/out of their new wheelchair. We are committed to the long term physical and spiritual lives of the people we serve.

Family Retreat

Family Retreat is a time to embrace the needs of the entire family, offering a full range of activities in a supportive, loving environment where families affected by disability feel welcomed, understood and accepted. A day at Family Retreat may include: teaching on disability-related issues, support groups, crafts, family activities, water games, and more. Joni and Friends serves over 1,000 families across the United States each year through our Family Retreat program.

Joni and Friends knows of no other organization that provides the special opportunity for entire families to attend a week-long retreat together, no matter the disability. At Family Retreat, families affected by disability can find a community of people who understand their day-to-day challenges and caring volunteers who help them to find renewed joy and courage.

Family Retreat is staffed by Short Term Missionaries (STMs) and leaders who not only invest a week of their life with no salary compensation, but they pay their own registration fees and travel expenses. These STMs are assigned to a family, offering friendship, support, and general assistance. Each STM has undergone thorough background checks and received two days of disability training.

Established in 1979, Joni and Friends is an international organization with over 150 employees in the United States, and we recruit over 5,000 volunteers every year. Our volunteers serve on our Wheels for the World outreach teams, as Short-Term Missionaries at Family Retreats, and help with administrative tasks in our 19 offices across the United States.

Wheels for the World

Since 1994, Joni and Friends has delivered over 170,000 wheelchairs to people affected by disability around the globe. Our Wheels for the World teams include mechanics, professional physical and occupational therapists and administrative staff – who not only volunteer their time, but pay for the own registration and travel expenses.

Joni and Friends team of Chair Corp volunteers will collect over 18,000 used wheelchairs in 2019. These wheelchairs will be sent to our Wheels for the World restoration shops to be upgraded to like-new condition. Through our partnerships with various national and international companies, the wheelchairs will be shipped to 16 countries for distribution through our Joni and Friends Wheels for the World outreach events.

Family Retreat

Joni and Friends partners with churches and other community organizations to offer our Family Retreat program to families affected by disability. In 2019, we will offer 38 domestic Family Retreats and 39 International Family Retreats.

Family Retreat is staffed by Short Term Missionaries (STMs) and leaders who not only invest a week of their life with no salary compensation, but they pay their own registration fees and travel expenses. These STMs are assigned to a family, offering friendship, support, and general assistance. Each STM has undergone thorough background checks and received two days of disability training.

Our STMs show devotion to Christ by expressing joy in everything they do. They may help a child with cerebral palsy go down the slide or rock a baby with Down syndrome so the parents can enjoy their first quiet meal in months. When our STMs represent the tender hands and willing heart of Jesus, they not only declare the love of God, they demonstrate it.

Wheels for the World

Since 1994, Joni and Friends has delivered over 170,000 wheelchairs to people affected by disability around the world. In 2015, Joni and Friends began our Hope Overflowing initiative to send 100,000 wheelchairs to people affected by disability by 2020. As we move forward in 2019, we are well on our way to achieving our goal. This year, we will provide a total of over 16,000 wheelchairs.


Family Retreat

Since 1991, Joni and Friends has served over 17,000 families through our Domestic and International Family Retreats. In 2019, Joni and Friends has added 10 new Family Retreats to serve more families than ever before.