Moses Lake Senior Center donates van

MOSES LAKE — Tim Yzaguirre was born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, preventing oxygen from reaching his brain.

The lack of oxygen resulted in his cerebral palsy, otherwise referred to as “CP.”

Tim is now 22 years old and lives in Spokane. He requires the use of a wheelchair to get around daily.

He and his father Luis share a dream that the Moses Lake community is helping them achieve.

The father and son plan to take a cross-country road trip in the future. To do so, they need a wheelchair accessible van.

Just a week ago, Luis held the Basin Bash Benefit Concert in Moses Lake to support his non-profit organization, Tim’s Wheelchair Lift Fund.

He chose to host the event in Moses Lake because he is originally from Moses Lake but moved to Spokane to obtain special medical care for his son.

During the event, local bands played music.

A photo of the event was featured in the Columbia Basin Herald, catching the eyes of people at the Moses Lake Senior Center.

The senior center donated a wheelchair accessible 1978 Dodge van to the family.

“That van is great,” Luis said. “We’re going to use it so much.”

Luis and his son retrieved the van Thursday and drove it back to Spokane. They are already getting a lot of use out of it.

He said the van will help him transport his son around town so he can go shopping and participate in other recreation and social activities.

Luis said he is thankful to the community for their support and was inspired by the amount of giving.

He not only plans to continue to host the benefit concert each June to help benefit other families needing a wheelchair accessible van.

“We will pay it forward. We want it to get bigger and better each year,” Luis said.

He hopes to one day have a fleet of vans being used by families. They will eventually donate the donated van to another family in need.

He explained there are many other people in a similar situation. Luis said he is lucky to be strong enough to lift his adult son in and out of a vehicle but not all parents can do the same, making a wheelchair lift more important than some people may realize.

Luis didn’t expect to have a van donated to him. He planned to host the concert for several years until there was enough money raised to buy a single van. Now he wants to help anyone in need of a wheelchair accessible van.

“The response from the community was overwhelming,” he said. “I’m proud to be from Moses Lake.”

Luis said he is reminded that his roots are planted firmly in Moses Lake.

To make a donation to Tim’s Wheelchair Lift Fund, visit any Chase Bank.