Martha Nelson had a neighbor, a young man who used a wheelchair.

The widow of a former church pastor in Manteca knew what it was like to be so physically challenged because she herself suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, a difficult and debilitating disease.

Nelson wasted no time to find a way to help the young man by starting a group that could reach out to him, as well as others under the same circumstances.

After a few “brain-scratching sessions,” the group met for the first time on March 21, 1992.

And Happy Wheelers was born.

The members, who borrowed the title of a famous Willie Nelson song for their motto – “On the road again” – will mark that red-letter day with a potluck meeting on Saturday, March 18. The celebration will be held in the same  room where Nelson and the handful of original members met 20 years ago, the social hall of United Lutheran Church at 649 Northgate Drive, next to the Tidewater Bike Path. The potluck will begin at noon.

Nelson, whose husband George was the pastor of United Lutheran, has since passed away. But Happy Wheelers is still on a roll. And it has come a long way since that time 20 years ago.

Geral Hedges, who has been a member since the group’s inception – off and on for a number of years – noted some of the amazing trail-blazing achievements of the group in the last two decades.

“Happy Wheelers, over the years, has shown many people that overcoming insurmountable challenges is possible. Fruitful, socially active lives are achievable,” she said.

“Happy Wheelers encourage each other and share experiences and opportunities that keep us ‘going.’ We participate in parades and have a collection of trophies. Along the way, we invite other people we meet who are experiencing physical challenges themselves, or have loved ones who do, to join us.”

They have taken part in the annual Memorial Day observances, both at the East Union Cemetery ceremonies where a group representative lays a wreath on the flag pole in honor of those who served their country and fellow citizens, and at the downtown parade. They are the ones dressed in colorful outfits and hats, zipping along the floats and parade marchers.

They have raised money to fund their various events and to donate to the United Lutheran food pantry to help the needy in the community. Members have also adopted families at Christmas time by providing gifts, and have made care packages for people in nursing homes who don’t have families.

“We have amazed many people at our (garage) sales. Happy Wheelers sponsor and do most of the work ourselves,” said Hedges, a former Manteca Unified School District teacher.

A lot of things have changed for the better since the Happy Wheelers first started rolling, Hedges noted.

Some of those first members have never known other “people with disabilities” at the time, she said, adding, the latest term for that phrase is “Handi-Capable” people.

“Others hadn’t been with any other person with physical limitations outside of a rehabilitation or therapy situation,” she added.



More and more people using mobility devices

Today, Hedges said, “We see far more people out and about using mobility devices now than we did 20 y ears ago. We, in Manteca, are blessed by unusually good weather and increasingly accessible city conditions that encourage all of us to enjoy the world and activities around us.”

Some residents in wheelchair “used to get tickets to get a taxi in town,” she said. But, she said, “we have a few people who don’t transfer (from wheelchair to bus and vice versa) so they use a regular wheelchair to go around.”

The fact United Lutheran is situated next to the Bike Path is also a blessing because “quite a few of our members don’t like city streets and use the bike path,” Hedges said.

Those who make use of transit for transportation have the buses pick them up at home, said Hedges, who noted that the newer transit buses now have a lift for better accessibility.

When Nelson first started the brainstorming sessions to get Happy Wheelers started – the naming of the group came later – she did so with the strong belief “that a group of people in wheelchairs could encourage one another and share solutions for problems particular to people with limited mobility,” said Hedges who, with husband Greg, will soon be blessed with their second grandchild. Older son, Peter, who is an Army veteran and is now working as a deputy sheriff, lives in North Carolina with his wife and daughter who was just born in November. Son Aaron and his wife live in Denver where he is attending law school. They are expecting their first child in August. Greg, who still works as an IT with Manteca Unified, and his two sons still do barbershop singing together when they have a chance.

Networking was not even a byword or a household buzz word when Happy Wheelers started. But that’s exactly what the group is doing and has been doing through the years. They meet every third Saturday of the month at United Lutheran starting at noon, except in May when that day is set aside for the annual garage sale fund-raising.

Hedges said this week’s anniversary meeting turn-out “may be small, as we are competing with St. Patrick’s Day, and rain and cool weather could keep some Happy Wheelers at home.” The average turnout at their regular meeting is about two-dozen, she said.

The group is sending out an invitation for the public to join them in celebrating their 20th anniversary on Saturday.

Membership to Happy Wheelers is “open to anybody,” Hedges said. “The good thing about Happy Wheelers is that you can share your problems with everybody and everybody works at it. If you have a problem, they have a solution. Networking – we didn’t have that word when we started it.”

Membership dues are $7 a year which covers a monthly newsletter. “We encourage people to donate what they can to cover newsletter postage,” Hedges said.