Life Center for Independent Living

The 2008 Wheel-A-Thon was held on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center on the Indoor Track. We will be looking for volunteers to work on the planning committee for next year's event, local businesses to sponsor next year's event, and teams to participate in next year's event.

Register yourself and/or your team!

What is a Wheel-A-Thon?

Prior to the day of the event, participants and teams register for the event online via this site. Participants and teams begin collecting pledges and/or particpate in fundraising activities that will support LIFE Center's programs. We've made collecting pledges easy by offering your friends and family the option to participate online via your own personalized fundraising page. To receive a participation packet in the mail, contact Marianne or call 309/663-5433 or toll free 888/543-3245 V/TTY.

On the day of the event, participants turn in their offline pledges. Each participant or team will be assigned a wheelchair to complete the course. After the opening ceremonies, wheelers and walkers take off on the track, which should take between 30 - 45 minutes to complete 1-2 miles. There will be disability-related organizations hosting information tables, raffles, music, and kids' activities to participate in. A complimentary lunch will be served to volunteers and participants. Results of the event are announced and prizes are awarded to top teams and participants. The event will last about 2-3 hours, leaving the rest of the day to enjoy.

View pictures from Wheel-A-Thon 2008

View pictures from Wheel-A-Thon 2007

View pictures from Wheel-A-Thon 2006

View YouTube video of Students for an Accessible Community at Wheel-A-Thon 2006.

Why participate in the Wheel-A-Thon?

Help increase disability awareness.
Raise important funds for LIFE Center for Independent Living.
After wheeling, enjoy a complimentary lunch, activities and music, learn the Wheel-A-Thon results and award winners.
Participants may receive prizes, in the form of donated products and gift certificates from local businesses, based on dollar amounts raised.
It's easy to collect pledges online.

What is the Team Challenge?

The Team Challenge promotes friendly competition between businesses and organizations whose employees/members participate on their behalf. Here’s how it works:

Recruit one or more team(s) comprised of wheelers/walkers who will work together to raise funds for the Wheel-A-Thon.
Choose a team name and a team captain for each team. The team captain will be responsible for registering the team and communications with LIFE Center. This can be done online via this site.
After the team captain registers the team, team members will set up their own personalized online fundraising pages or use the sponsor sheets to collect pledges.
Teams may host small fundraising events (pre-approved by LIFE Center) to help increase their collected pledges.
On the day of the event, the team captain will turn in the team’s offline pledges. The team will share a wheelchair to complete the course. Then, join in on the festivities afterwards.

How may I participate in the Wheel-A-Thon?

We have several ways you can participate in this year’s Wheel-A-Thon:

Become a sponsor by providing monetary or in-kind donations to underwrite the event.
Become a volunteer – volunteers are needed to serve on the event planning committee and help run the event.
Organize a team or teams to participate in the event.
Participate in fundraising activities and collect pledges for LIFE Center for Independent Living.

Please take a moment to complete our Wheel-A-Thon survey. Thank you.

If you are unable to participate but would like to make a donation,
you can donate via PayPal by clicking on the button below.

For more information, contact Marianne or call 309/663-5433 or toll free 888/543-3245 V/TTY.