Chicago-Area Lexus Dealers Partner With Joni and Friends' 'Wheels for the World' to Bestow the 'Gift of Mobility'

    CHICAGO, May 30 Nine Chicago-area Lexus dealers have
announced that they will partner with Joni and Friends, a Los Angeles-based
non-profit organization serving the disabled community, to launch the Lexus
"Gift of Mobility" program to provide much-needed wheelchairs for people in
developing countries worldwide.  The partnership builds upon Joni and Friends'
flagship program, Wheels for the World, which collects unneeded, no longer in-
use wheelchairs and provides the gift of mobility to disabled children and
adults.
    "Lexus is proud to be joining the international disability outreach of
Wheels for the World through our 'Gift of Mobility' partnership," said James
Farley, Lexus Central Area General Manager.  "We are committed to doing all we
can to improve upon the quality of life for those less fortunate."
    The "Gift of Mobility" wheelchairs collected by the Chicago-area Lexus
dealers will be delivered to correctional facilities throughout the United
States where volunteer inmates will work to restore the wheelchairs to like-
new condition.  The wheelchairs are then shipped overseas to developing
countries such as Ghana, Romania, Peru, Cuba, Poland and even small villages
in China where volunteer teams of professional physical and occupational
therapists custom fit the chairs to waiting recipients.
    "There are millions of people throughout the developing world seriously
affected by disability and in need of a wheelchair," said Joni Eareckson Tada,
founder and president of Joni and Friends.  "The Lexus 'Gift of Mobility'
restores dignity and capability while providing a life changing event for
people that otherwise might be forgotten in a needy world."
    Worldwide, there is a need for more than 18 million wheelchairs.  Joni and
Friends has been collecting, restoring and distributing wheelchairs since
1993.  Wheelchair donations can be made to any of the nine Chicago Lexus
dealers (see list that follows release).
    Joni and Friends, a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the
physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the disability community, commands
three flagship programs -- Wheels for the World, Family Retreats, Area
Ministries, as well as many other activities designed to give practical and
spiritual help to people affected by disabilities.  Joni Eareckson Tada hosts
a daily five-minute inspirational radio program heard on more than 840 radio
outlets worldwide.  Nine Area Offices in the United States, as well as
chartered organizations throughout the world, enable Joni and Friends to help
communities and churches fully incorporate disabled members into their
activities.

    Lexus
    Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., markets and
sells luxury cars and sport utility vehicles through its 191 dealers in the
United States.  Since its inception in 1989, Lexus has earned a reputation for
providing the best in vehicle quality, service and customer satisfaction.  As
a result, Lexus is the top-selling luxury nameplate in the United States and
its vehicles and dealers have received many honors.

                       Chicago-Area Lexus Dealerships:

    Arlington Lexus in Palatine          Bredemann Lexus in Glenview
    1285 East Dundee Road                2000 North Waukegan Road
    Palatine, IL 60067                   Glenview, IL 60025

    Lexus of Highland Park               Lexus of Naperville
    3040 Skokie Valley Road              1535 West Ogden Avenue
    Highland Park, IL 60035              Naperville, IL 60540

    Lexus of Orland                      Lexus of Rockford
    8485 West 159th Street               6551 East State Street
    Tinley Park, IL 60477                Rockford, IL 61108

    McGrath Lexus of Chicago             McGrath Lexus of Westmont
    1250 West Division St.               470 East Ogden Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60622                    Westmont, IL 60559

    Woodfield Lexus
    155 West Higgins Road
    Hoffman Estates, IL 60195

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