Vehicles built in Luling help
disabled ‘arise and walk’

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
My grandfather had a hobby shop in his basement. Retired, he spent much of his leisure time there in a cloud of sawdust.
I can still see the short stacks of die-cut wood and tiny tires he’d use to make little cars. The parts were carefully arranged and labeled, even down to the screws, so he could easily assemble toys to give to his grandchildren.
Jake Royall of Luling builds wooden cars for “grandchildren,” too. But he’s never met these “grandchildren.” They number in the thousands and live in places like Vietnam, South America, Congo and Afghanistan.
While my grandfather gave his eight grandchildren unconditional love, Royall’s “grandchildren”—actually adults as well as youngsters—are often shunned by their families. That’s because they have disabilities—legs either blown off or paralyzed by landmines, disease or animal attacks.
Diminished to a life of dragging themselves through the dirt, these people are shunned because, in their culture, if you can’t support your family, your family won’t support you.
In Luling Royall, a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), leads a group of volunteers who build vehicles designed to “get these people off the ground, as upright as possible so they can be productive and their families will take them back.”
The vehicles are called Personal Energy Transportation vehicles, or PETs. These hand-cranked vehicles—hybrid wheelchairs/pull carts/tricycles—are the product of a ministry whose mission is to provide mobility after the example of Jesus Christ’s disciples, who said, “In the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk” (Acts 3:6).
The Southwest Texas Conference Board of Global Ministries has designated the PET Project an Advance Special Number (2269).
“PETs restore dignity and promise of a better life for those who receive them,” Royall said. “To persons who have spent most of their lives crawling around on the ground looking up at people, it gives them the opportunity to look others straight in the eye.”
A PET roughly resembles a cart with a seat. It has three large wheels, metal underframe and a wooden body. At the front is a vertical bar to which hand pedals are attached. Turning the pedals moves the bicycle chain that rotates the front tire.
Above the two rear tires is a cargo area.
Unlike those of a wheelchair, a PET’s tires are small in diameter but wide so they can move easily through dirt and grass. The metal parts are securely welded to withstand tough use. The body is made of wood so it can be maintained by carpenters anywhere in the world.
A PET is a sturdy and simple rough-terrain vehicle. Royall calls it “the ATV (all-terrain vehicle) of wheelchairs.”
Many PET components are donated by organizations around the country. Some components the PET Project has to buy.
In the metal barn that is the PET production facility in Luling, the parts, including screws and bolts, are meticulously categorized and labeled so they can be put together easily. Sometimes Royall’s associate, Joe Svoboda, a member of First UMC, Luling, cuts, welds and grinds the materials. Once completed, the PETs are painted, packaged and shipped to some of the poorest people in some of the poorest countries.
Shipping the PETs doesn’t involve foam peanuts or shredded newspaper.
“Nothing that we send (with the PET) can’t be used,” Royall said. The crew uses donated stuffed animals to cushion the vehicle in the box.
“When they open the crate, the kids get something, too,” he said.
Empty space in the box is filled with donated clothing and empty plastic milk jugs, which recipients will use to carry water.
Along with the PET comes a quart-size zip-lock plastic bag containing wrenches, pliers, a vise grip and bolts that hold the whole thing together. The tool kit becomes just as valuable as the vehicle.
PET International, of which the Luling production facility is part, has provided vehicles to 2,200 people in 54 countries. The PET Place in Luling, one of nine PET production sites, has contributed 452 of them since it began operation in 2002.
The production goal for 2006 for the Texas PET Project is 300. In mid-April, production was lagging behind projections.
The project relies on volunteers and donations. Royall has retired from two professions. The PET Project is the work he; his wife, Gwen; Svoboda; and Svoboda’s wife, Karen, do—unpaid—now.
The project appeals widely to retired people. (The missionary who first brought the need for the vehicles to anyone’s attention lives in a retirement community.) But Royall said he would welcome anyone who came to help.
Mickey Little, chair of the mission committee of First UMC, Johnson City, said her congregation has been supporting the project for several years with contributions as well as volunteering with the building and painting.
A crew from Coker UMC, San Antonio, recently spent a day working there.
Members of Helotes Hills UMC, Helotes, have crafted the basic bodies of the vehicles and sent them to Luling for completion.
Royall travels around Texas making presentations. Recently he met with United Methodist NOMADS (Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service) at a state meeting.
A $250 donation provides all materials for one vehicle. Churches send money collected in special offerings. Grants, Royall said, are not an option because most foundations require that a project benefit the local community directly.
“There are 22 million people around the world who’ve lost their legs,” Royall said. Some 3.5 million of them could benefit from a vehicle such as a PET.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” Royall said.
Karen Svoboda said, “Not only do they get up off the ground, they’re even three inches taller because they don’t have to rely on somebody else to carry them around.”