CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-based nonprofit Speed for Need said that their trailer with five custom wheelchairs was stolen from a lot near the Costwold area in Charlotte over the weekend.
Speed for Need is a nonprofit that seeks to "raise awareness and foster inclusion of those with a special need through participation in fitness events," according to their website.
WCNC Charlotte spoke with Kevin Young, the co-founder and CEO of Speed for Need, about the theft and has also obtained security footage of the theft occurring over the weekend.
Young was on his way to pick up the trailer to push kids in their "chariots" who have survived pediatric cancers at a nearby charity race when he realized the trailer, and the five racing wheelchairs inside, were gone.
"And that's really the worst part about yesterday, above and beyond everything else," Young said about the organization not being about to push pediatric sarcoma survivors in Saturday's race.
Speed for Need had 13 racing chairs in total before five were stolen over the weekend. Young said that since the chairs serve a special purpose, they are customized.
"They need to be hand welded, its hard to find...material costs are high. And there's just a backlog for things like this. So its unfortunate," Young told WCNC Charlotte.
But Young and the rest of the people in their organization refuse to dwell on this unfortunate incident. A day later, they are "just figuring out how to move forward and how to figure out solutions."
"But that being said, if someone sees [them] on the side of the road, and [they] look like a bunch of colorful pieces of steel...that just might be ours. And we would be very, very grateful for it," Young added.