The following post was written by one of Turning Point's directors, Steve Olpin.
Brighter Future Workshop is a little like Santa's workshop. The workshop is a brightly lit room full of sunshine and smiles. The sunshine floods into the room through the massive skylights in the ceiling. Workers are happy and there is a lot of laughter. Even the Brighter Future Workshop logo is a smiling sunshine.
So what do they to at Brighter Future Workshop? They hire disabled and disadvantaged people to refurbish, repair and recycle wheelchairs and other mobility equipment. They work hard and turn out a massive amount of equipment. They also have a lot of fun. Work breaks are filled with foosball, snacks, music, art and lot of goofing around. Then it's back to work. There is discarded equipment stacked to the workshop's ceiling -- equipment that needs a lot of elbow grease. It's given new life, and in the process, disabled and disadvantaged workers are also given a new life and a sense of pride in a job that really matters.
As a small film crew we traveled to Lancashire county in North West England and embedded ourselves into the workshop for a week. It was like falling in love, and the smiles were contagious. Peter and Jackie run the show there and they are inspirational.
What was the eureka moment that started this whole thing that is helping so many people? Well, that is a perfect reason to to tune into Turning Point on BYUtv, Monday at 8:30pm MT. This episode is a heart-warming story about what happens when people dedicate their lives to helping someone other than themselves. Remember it is about the smile: you will see it on their faces, their shirts, everywhere at Brighter Future Workshops you will see smiles. Also prepare to meet Paul Miller, a guy that knows how to work on a wheelchair like nobody else.
Enjoy!
