Personal Energy Transportation (PET)

Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) is just that: complex. Everything about it: what it does, how it’s made, the industry that regulates it, and most of all, the processes required to get it paid for. At the other end of the spectrum: PET International. In every way the antithesis of CRT, this organization has commanded the attention of retirees, students, church members and corporate partners from all corners of our nation.

I became aware of it when my own children started participating in an annual bike-athon event to raise money for the local chapter of PET here in upstate New York. Collecting sponsors for their bike-athon, partial or whole dollars per biked mile, their goal was to each raise enough money to pay for the production and shipment of one “PET,” as the simple, hand-driven devices are affectionately known. At $250.00 each, the entire event paid for close to twenty units each time.

Through the local chapter of this international group, we learned about an amazing network of volunteers and corporate donors who bring the gift of mobility to victims of polio, land mines and other trauma all over the world. Their vision: a world where all people have mobility, acceptability and accessibility. The same goal as those of us in the CRT industry, on a different (or simpler?) plane. This organization has my deepest respect, and it should have yours too. In our busy days, take a moment to be inspired.