A recent WIN NEWS video shared details about an important Lions program — Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation (ALCMF) — and the great work they do! 

“Three-year-old Ethan was born with a rare brain disorder, leaving him unable to walk or talk. But a foundation – established by the Lions Club – is funding a set of wheels to get him moving, providing equal opportunity to children with disabilities.”

The video shows Ethan and other disabled kids participating in an exercise event hosted by Frame Running Wollongong, where they can run and scoot through a series of activities using customised assistance devices to help them move about more easily. 

In the video, District Chair Steven Sherwood highlights the importance of these events, and spruiks the work of ALCMF in helping provide the specialised (and often expensive) devices that help disabled kids like Ethan. 

Founded nearly 30 years ago, the ALCMF works closely with each child’s physiotherapist to determine what kind of walker will give them the best support while also enabling them to move around freely. 

The benefit to the kids is immeasurable. According to Ethan’s mum, Natalie Zukowski, almost immediately after trying out his frame runner for the first time, Ethan was smiling and enjoying seeing the world from a different point of view.

At first, he wasn’t able to take many steps on his own, but is quickly learning how to use the frame runner to get around on his own after attending several of the Frame Running events. 

The ALCMF’s mission is to provide “walking devices that get kids out of their wheelchairs and on to their feet, so they are able to walk, explore, play, work and socialise.” 

ALCMF was founded shortly after the Whitfield family of Allambie in Sydney travelled to the UK to have their four-year-old son Luke fitted with a new type of walking assistance device designed by David Hart, called the Hart Walker.

Seeing the dramatic improvement in Luke’s health, they were inspired to bring this opportunity to more Australian children.

In 1996, the Spastic Centre of New South Wales was granted the Australian license by David Hart, and the Children’s Mobility Program was born. 

They have since branched out to different types of walkers addressing a range of disabilities.

So far, they have given away over 2,000 walkers to children across the country, funded by the generous donations they receive from Lions of Australia and corporate sponsors.