LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas is a long way from the Stone Mountain, Ga, headquarters of Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), but the organization will have a presence at the upcoming Medtrade Spring. And for vendors who wish to donate to the organization, Chris Brand (pictured), president of FODAC, will make sure the equipment gets to the people who need it.

FODAC will be in the Business Services area of Medtrade Spring at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and FODAC reps will be just a phone call away. “We love to share the good will of different vendors who are willing to help us out, through social media and other avenues,” says Brand. “The phone number for our donations manager will be on some stickers that Kevin [Kevin Gaffney, group show director, Medtrade] is going to distribute to the vendors, so they can actually label something for donation. There is a flyer with that so they can call our donations manager at any time at (866) 977-1204 or (770) 871-0433 (cell).”

Most anything on the show floor can be donated, but Brand says the people who are served by FODAC are always in need of items such as wheelchairs, scooters, bathroom equipment, and adult diapers.  

“When the 2011 tornadoes hit Alabama, Medtrade stepped it up to blast out the need,” says Brand. “Medtrade put out the word about how much equipment was needed, and we had probably $250K of new equipment from manufacturers shipped to us. Invacare has been the biggest donor whenever we call them up.”