Container shipping line APL was recognized by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) for volunteering its vessels to transport 875 wheelchairs to impoverished people on three continents. UCP Wheels for Humanity presented APL with its International Partner of the Year award. This is the eighth time UCP has presented the award and the first time it has gone to an international shipping line.
Staff and volunteers and UCP Wheels for Humanity collect and refurbish used wheelchairs and deliver and individually fit them to impoverished children and adults in developing countries. Since its inception in 1996, the program has provided wheelchairs to more than 40,000 people with disabilities in 67 countries.
Since 2007, APL has transported wheelchairs to patients in Indonesia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and the Ukraine.
“We're pleased that we can put our ships and network to good use for people in need,” said Robert Sappio, senior vice president of the Transpacific Trade at APL.
