We invest in our community
AmSafe is proud to contribute to the following organizations
The West Valley Mavericks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that proudly supports the West Valley in a variety of ways. The foundation aims to develop and support programs that serve to improve the quality and future of the communities. Their mission is to assist children and families and help people in need. The Mavericks have completed their annual beneficiary grant award process, and they have mailed checks to 88 charitable organizations impacting the West Valley in $600,000 of giving for 2023. This marks the first time in the organization’s nearly ten-year history that they have cleared the half-a-million-dollar mark annually. This achievement puts the organization over $2 million in total dollars given since the inception of the Mavericks. It was made possible by their outstanding community partners, sponsors, and volunteers. In 2023, The West Valley Mavericks gave out $600,000 to 100 local organizations, demonstrating their commitment to making a positive impact in the West Valley.
All Wheels Up’s mission is to increase awareness for safer and more dignified accessible air travel through research and advocacy. Founder Michele Erwin created All Wheels Up in 2011 trying to arrange a trip to Disney World with her son Greyson who has SMA. After experiencing the difficulties of traveling with a Wheelchair, she knew something needed to be done and embarked on the journey of getting wheelchairs crash tested for Accessible commercial flight. We ultimately found out existing wheelchair restraints from Q’Straint used in Accessible Cars and Buses can exceed the FAA requirement of 16 G’s and started testing them and working with regulators such as the FAA, Airlines, Airplane Manufacturers, and Congress to see how we can make Airplanes Accessible. Being able to fly on Airplanes from the safety of your Wheelchair is something the disability community has wanted for years. Wheelchairs get damaged constantly and even sent to the wrong airport and Airlines spend millions every year repairing them. Our solution is for those who use electric wheelchairs, as well as properly modified Manual Wheelchairs, to independently maneuver themselves onto the plane with dignity and safety.
At the end of 2018, All Wheels Up was so proud Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act with our amendment requiring a feasibility study into wheelchair securement systems that we spent years advocating for. It also required airlines to finally report how many wheelchairs they break every month, contained a Passenger with Disabilities Bill of Rights, sets minimum seat dimensions, and much more. The feasibility study, which you can read here, was finally released in 2021 and “did not identify any issues in this preliminary assessment that seem likely to present design and engineering challenges so formidable that they call into question the technical feasibility of an in-cabin wheelchair securement system and the value of exploring the concept further”. In 2022 Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced plans for a new rule in the coming years to allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs when they fly.
