Wheelchair Foundation of Florida

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN

KENNETH E. BEHRING - BIOGRAPHY

The establishment of the Wheelchair Foundation marks the most recent chapter in Kenneth E. Behring's philanthropic efforts to improve the lives of disadvantaged people around the world.

From his successful career as an automobile dealer in Wisconsin, Ken entered the world of real estate development in the 1960's. Over the course of the next 35 years, his companies created numerous planned communities in Florida and California, including the world-renowned Blackhawk development near San Francisco.

After purchasing the Seattle Seahawks football team in 1988, Ken established the Seattle Seahawks Charitable Foundation, which benefited numerous children's charities. The Seahawks Foundation was the most substantial benefactor for the Western Washington Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Ken Behring founded the Blackhawk Museum, The U.C. Berkeley Museum of Art, Science and Culture and the Behring-Hofmann Educational Institute in Blackhawk, California, to benefit the San Francisco East Bay region. In 1997 he pledged $20 million to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and in 2000 he pledged an additional $80 million to rebuild the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. For only the fourth time in the Smithsonian's 170-year history, the prestigious James Smithson Award was bestowed on Behring in recognition of his generosity and vision. The Blackhawk Museum is now an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

During his years of travel around the world, Ken has made it his personal mission to help those in need. His donations of food, medical supplies, clothing, toys and educational materials have helped people in some of the most impoverished nations on earth. His first-hand involvement has given him a realistic picture of how much help is needed worldwide.

In 1999 Ken donated shipments of wheelchairs to relief organizations in Eastern Europe and Africa. His personal contact with the recipients gave him a greater understanding of how much hope and happiness can be given to a person who receives a wheelchair. In the following months, he has traveled the world delivering wheelchairs to Italy, Romania, Botswana, Vietnam, Guatemala and the Crow Indian Nation in Montana. In June of 2000, Ken committed $15 million to his newly created Wheelchair Foundation.

Ken Behring was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement in 1989. He has served on the boards of national and international institutions, received numerous honors and awards of recognition, and been embraced by nations around the world.

Ken and his wife Patricia reside in Blackhawk, California. They have five sons and ten grandchildren.

"When I see the happiness on the faces of the people who get a wheelchair, I feel that this is the best thing I have ever done in my life." - Kenneth E. Behring

INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF ADVISORS

Members of the International Board of Advisors of the Wheelchair Foundation are individuals committed to providing wheelchairs to men, women and children around the world who cannot afford one for themselves. The Advisors bring their expertise and experience to bear in providing valuable counsel on the direction of the Foundation and support in accomplishing its goals and fulfilling its mission.