History of the PET

As told on the Columbia website

Photos thanks to Larry Hills

Early PETs

Todays PETs

1995 Reverend Larry Hills, missionary in Zaire (now Congo), Africa, told Reverend Mel West of the great need for three-wheeled, hand-cranked wheelchairs for victims of polio and landmines. Mel contacted Earl Miner, product designer and long-time friend and mission partner; and the process of the prototype design began.

Earl Miner

Mel West

Larry Hills

1996 When prototype development was ready for field testing, four were shipped to Larry Hills with the instructions to "put these in the worst place you can find, and see if they pass the test." Larry did, and the PETs did. Shipments began to Zaire, where Larry had set up a place to receive the frames, put on the wooden beds, and distribute them.

1996 Rodney Miner in Darby, Montana, began to build and ship PETs and steel frame parts mostly to Congo/Zaire, where they locally add the wooden bed and then distribute the finished PET.

1997 Bishop Machado of Mozambique saw the PET and requested a project there. Others did likewise. With limited funds and operating out of the West's garage, and a room at Community United Methodist Church, the project grew.

1998 Tom Algiere, shop teacher, was sent by the United Methodist Church to Mozambique where he set up two PET production shops.

2000 Reverend Mel West set up a production, receiving and shipping facility in Columbia, Missouri USA. The PET Place facility receives parts made by volunteers and donated by businesses. Then the PETs are assembled and shipped to various areas of need around the world.

2000 Reverend Larry Hills set up a production shop in Penny Farms Retirement Center located in Penny Farms, Florida USA to focus on mobility needs in Haiti.

PET Florida

Larry and Laura Hills

P O Box 402

Penney Farms, FL 32079

904-284-5495

llhills@bellsouth.net

www.petflorida.org

2003 Jake and Gwen Royall, members of First Christian Church, and Joe and Karen Svoboda, members of First United Methodist Church, set up a production shop in Luling, Texas USA.

PET Texas

Jake and Gwen Royall

265 FM 86 #15

Luling, TX 78648

830-875-2972

www.pettexas-luling.org

E-mail: info@pettexas-luling.org

2004 Over 1,000 PETs are produced and shipped from across the US. PET International is incorporated.

New shops:

PET Tennessee

Freddie Brown and group

452 Gresham Lane

Murfreesboro, TN 37129

615-896-56408

www.pettennessee.org (Sorry for the inconvenience, but the site is down)

PET Tampa, Florida

Jeff and April Sukup

12024 Vermillion Way

Riverview, FL 33569

PET Southwest MO

Bill Baker

3534 East Sunshine

Suite H

Springfield, MO 65809

Has building August 2004.

Others shops are in the process of being set up.

PET Michigan

Al and Beverly Kindig

570 Graafschap Rd.

Holland, MI 49423

616-392-8013

2005

PET New York - East Jewett

Don and Carol Muth

1008 Country Rd. 40

East Jewett, NY 12424

518-734-3908

PET Washington - Spokane

Dick and Lois Carpenter

15123 Little Spokane Drive

Spokane, WA 99208

509-466-3425

PET KS - Mound Ridge

471 - 19th Ave.

Mound Ridge, KS 67107

PET Texas-San Antonio

Sid Martin and Joe Srubar

P. O. Box 941

Helotes, TX 78023

Phone: (210) 558 9767

www.petsanantonio.mysite.com