There are so many nonprofits doing good work on behalf of amputees that it seems impossible to keep track of them all. But we’re going to try anyway. Every week we’ll highlight one organization or person that’s out there trying to make life better for amputees. This week’s Worthy Cause: LN4 Hand Project.
Name: LN4 Hand Project
Founder: Industrial designer Ernie Meadows launched the project in 2005 as a memorial to his daughter, who died at 18 in an auto accident. He partnered with Michael Mendonca and mechanical engineer Maurice LeBlanc to create a low-cost, lightweight, durable, fully functional prosthetic hand. The devices have been distributed worldwide ever since, free of charge to the recipients. The Smithsonian added the LN4 Hand to its collection of technical innovations in 2009 “to document the history of prosthetics in America and international entrepreneurial activism to assist people with disabilities.”
What they do: Provide free, functional prosthetic hands to upper-limb amputees who lack access to a prosthesis.
Who they serve: LN4 Hand Project has distributed more than 57,000 prosthetic devices to amputees in more than 80 countries.
How the LN4 Hand works: Watch LN4 Project president Michael Mendonca demonstrate the LN4 hand’s range of uses.
Get involved: LN4 Ambassadors play a critical role in the project’s mission by identifying individuals who need prosthetic hands, facilitating partnerships with global and local aid organizations, sponsoring events, and more.
Make a donation: https://ln4handproject.org/donate
Connect with LN4 Hand Project: On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Other Worthy Causes:
Abled Amputees Foundation
Range of Motion Project
Right to Walk Foundation
Steps of Faith Foundation
Born to Run Foundation
Move for Jenn Foundation
Jordan Thomas Foundation
Limbitless Solutions
Forrest Stump
Penta Prosthetics
Ayúdame3D
Less Leg More Heart
Looking for the Helpers (July/August 2020 issue of Amplitude)