PET is both a faith-based

Faith-based

The term faith-based is a neologism , mostly current in US English, to describe any organization or government idea or plan based on religious beliefs, specifically Christian beliefs....

, volunteer-driven, 501(c)(3) Non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 and an acronym for the Personal Energy Transportation vehicle that the group constructs and distributes at no cost to provide mobility to disabled children and adults worldwide.

History

PET grew out of a 1994 trip by Methodist missionary Reverend Larry Hills to Zaire

Zaire

The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...

, where he first recognized the need for the device when he encountered survivors of polio and landmines who could not walk but could not use wheelchair

Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

s in their rural environments. Hills and his wife Laura spoke with Reverend Mel West about a modified wheelchair that might serve, hand-cranked with three wheels. During 1995, West involved product designer Earl Miner in producing a prototype built with an eye to sturdiness, simplicity and cost effectiveness. In 1996, four prototypes were put to the test in Zaire. Based on their performance, PETs went into production and shipped for distribution in Zaire.

The following year, PET production began to expand into other countries, beginning with Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

. In 2000, to meet growing demand, West opened a facility in Columbia, Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

 which serves to receive donated parts, to assemble PETs and ship them internationally. A second US facility was opened in Penney Farms, Florida

Penney Farms, Florida

Penney Farms is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 580 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 617.- History :...

 USA (near Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

) by the Hills that same year. In 2003, a third facility was established in Luling, Texas

Luling, Texas

Luling is a city in Caldwell County, Texas, United States, along the San Marcos River. The population was 5,080 at the 2000 census. There is some debate as to how Luling got its name. Some say it was named for a Chinese railroad worker, others for a judge named Luling, or that it was the maiden...

.

In 2004, to help manage the growth and production of PETs, Pet International was incorporated, with a Board of Trustees and staff to help manage all issues related to assembling and distributing PETs. The cost of the components for a PET have dropped to $250 from the initial amount of over $300.

Countries

PET machines have been shipped to Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Benin,
Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Gabon, Gaza, Georgia (Russia), Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq,
Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Montagnon, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, North Korea, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, West Bank, Western Sahara, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

External links

• PET International website
• PET of Columbia, Missouri
• PET of Penney Farms, Florida
• PET of Luling, Texas
• PET Texas website
• PET of Austin, Texas
• PET of San Antonio, Texas
• PET of East Jewett, New York
• PET of Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• PET of Tampa, Florida
• PET of Spokane, Washington
• P.E.T. - Personal Energy Transportation Project on Rocketboom
  Rocketboom
  Rocketboom is a daily vlog produced by Andrew Baron that was most recently hosted by Meme Molly until August 25, 2011. Joanne Colan hosted from July 12, 2006 until April 17, 2009. In the intervening time between Colan and Molly, Caitlin Hill hosted a few episodes in April 2009...
  
  
• PET of Holland, Michigan