Peoria veteran builds, gives away free wheelchairs to fellow service members

PEORIA (25News Now) - A local veteran and his wife are making sure their fellow service members are never left behind when it comes to mobility.

Donald and Tanya Yarbrough run “Veterans Helping Veterans... Helping the Community,” a nonprofit dedicated to putting wheels under those in need.

Inside their workshop, Donald completely rebuilds donated electric wheelchairs and power scooters in about two hours. Over the last 15 years, the couple has repaired more than 15,000 mobility devices and given away more than 1,600 of them, completely for free.

The real reward comes when a veteran gets their keys, a moment that still brings Donald to tears.

“It’s pretty amazing. It’s amazing to feel. It’s hard to talk about. It’s hard to talk about. It means a lot to him. I’m sorry, man. It means a lot to him. That’s all I know. I’ve never had one complaint. I can tell you that. Never, never, never, never,” Donald Yarbrough, founder and president, said.

While Donald works on the mechanical side, Tanya inspects and cleans each chair. They work closely with the Peoria VA Clinic, which often refers veterans who do not qualify for government-funded power chairs directly to Donald’s workshop.

The mission began 15 years ago at the Peoria VA Clinic, when Army veteran Donald Yarbrough saw an elderly veteran missing a leg, crying because he didn’t qualify for a power scooter.

“And I told my wife, I said, ‘When I get down to the doctor, if this man is out there, when I get down to my doctor, it’s God’s will for me to see this man.’ I went out; he was there. I went to him, I said, ‘I saw a tear coming down your eyes, mister...’ He said, ‘Well, I just found out that I didn’t qualify for a scooter.’ I said, ‘You’re missing a leg,’” Donald Yarbrough said.

Donald gave that veteran a spare power chair sitting in his garage. From that single act of kindness, Donald and his wife Tanya set a goal to give away four chairs a year. Today, they have given away more than 1,600.

Tanya works alongside him, cleaning, inspecting, and keeping the operation running.

“Sometimes I’ll come down, and I’ll help him clean the power chairs up to make sure they’re looking really nice before they leave out of here. I come and inspect them. We don’t want anybody to have a chair that’s not up to par. So that’s what I do. And support, that’s all,” Tanya Yarbrough, co-founder, said.

The Yarbroughs have spent a personal fortune to keep the chairs completely free. Donald often works 21-hour days.

Donald says they survive purely on community donations to buy new batteries for the chairs. To learn how to support their mission, click here.

As a veteran himself, Donald gives every wheelchair away for free, ensuring his fellow service members are never left behind.

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