Glenda (Shirk) ’83 Kauffman (second from left) with Hesston College engineering professor Sattar Ali and engineering students Tana Hayworth (Lincoln, Kan.) and Devin Miller (Hesston, Kan.)

A recent request for donations made by the Hesston College engineering department ended up blessing the donor as much as the college.

The engineering department at Hesston College made a request to the community for donations of electric wheelchairs or scooters to be used in student projects, and alumna Glenda (Shirk) ’83 Kauffman was one of the donors who answered the call. After the recent passing of her parents, Kauffman was unsure what she should do with her father’s scooter, but this request made it clear.

“It is really such a blessing,” admits Kauffman. “This is something that has been weighing on my mind for the past 18 months. I just couldn’t in good conscience junk it, but at the same time couldn’t find anyone who needed it or would take it!”

Kauffman attempted to donate the scooter to other causes, but due to liability constraints, the organizations could not accept it.

Program director Johann Reimer and the rest of the engineering department were overwhelmed with the responses they received, including Kauffman’s, and are grateful for how the Hesston College community supports one another.

“The Hesston College School of Engineering is so happy for the support we received from Glenda as well as others who made donations,” says Reimer. “This donation will allow our engineering students to do some hands-on work creating either a remote control lawn mower or some other kind of mobile robotic platform.”

Reimer says the scooter will be taken apart and various parts and components will be stripped off to be used in students’ finished designs as part of the Fundamentals of Mechatronics course, a sophomore-level design course.