#RewindWithOIAA: Throwback With LN4 Hand Project

For Taehyung's birthday last year, ARMY voted for Special Needs Support as a cause they would like to support. Taking a cue from the poll, One In An ARMY organized a 5-day Flash Fundraiser to support LN4 Hand Project.

LN4 Hand Project supports individuals, who suffer from limb loss due to diseases requiring amputation or because of accidents or traumatic incidents, in gaining access to mechanical prosthetic hands. These prosthetic hands are durable and rudimentary with no electric parts and in the last fifteen years, LN4 Ambassadors have carried LN4 hands to almost every corner of the globe, spanning 80 countries and counting.

The organization wants everyone who requires a prosthetic hand to have one, regardless of their socioeconomic status or ability to pay. Limb loss has affected millions of people across the world, and many countries are in great need of free prosthetic hands. LN4’s free prosthetic hands provide an increased sense of independence and confidence for those who rely on them. The recipients are also reminded of their intrinsic value to the world through these hands.

To support their work, 2588 ARMY came together and raised $54642.77. It will change the lives of 1000 people as the funds will be used to produce and obtain parts of prosthetic hands and cover logistics and shipment cost of hands to distribution partners and LN4 Ambassadors.

As we revisit all the organizations we have worked with in the past 12 months for our third anniversary, we decided to ask them a few questions. Let’s check out what LN4 Hand Project has to say:

Updates On The Programs And New Developments

As for changes since we last worked together, there haven’t been many since it’s been only about 2 months since our last engagement. We are still delivering prosthetic hands to people in need across the globe at no cost to the recipient. We cover the shipping and the cost of the hand and will either send directly to the person in need or to an Ambassador (which is just our in-house word for volunteer) who will fit them with their hand.

Organization’s Fund Allocation Plan

The funds are allocated in the same way as they were in December of 2020 when we last worked together. Nearly all of our funding goes directly to the hand components themselves or to the shipping and handling costs related to sending the hand. One new area since working with you that might be of interest is the Board’s decision to expand more fully into Above Elbow (AE) devices, which would allow us to fit people who have an amputation above the elbow. We do have a small supply of these available for random requests but have seen a growing number of requests from our Ambassadors and even from individuals with this need. So, we want to look more closely into how they are designed, if we can improve the device we currently have, how we can order more & how much more, etc. We have never formally said we offer hands designed for people with above-elbow amputations as our LN4 hand offered now is really designed for someone with a below elbow amputation. This decision would move us more fully into reaching a segment of amputees that we’ve only been able to sporadically help in the past in one-off requests. The purpose for it is that it would lengthen the arm for an amputee and then our traditional LN4 hand attaches to it.

The Impact Of Pandemic On The Organization's Operations

The pandemic has certainly affected our organization, but we are so thankful to have such a dedicated support network who has helped us keep inching forward despite so many obstacles. Since the pandemic began, our donations were dramatically reduced, and this is one reason we were so thankful for OIAA and ARMY’s generous financial support through the birthday campaign for Tae. Of course, any time you venture into an expanded product, you again need more funds. So, a future campaign could help us order more of the AE devices for amputees with amputations above the elbow. Additionally, most hand fittings are conducted by volunteers at a fitting event. Fitting events are often indoors (like in a recreational center or community club building) and have many people in need in one space. Given the mandates issued for spacing and indoor restrictions, these scheduled hand fittings have slowed down. Our volunteers have had to become very creative in reaching those with limb loss, especially as travel is restricted in many countries as well. While these are certainly challenges, this is where we say we are thankful for our dedicated volunteers, because they have continued to do everything they can to still fit hands and have tried to adapt by fitting people in public parks or other outdoor venues when possible.

The Impact Of OIAA’s Campaign On The Organization

Our previous campaign together was amazing! We couldn’t believe the success and generous support from BTS' ARMY fandom and all the work that was coordinated through you all at OIAA. We received about $54-55K by the end of the official campaign (11PM on 12/31/20). Our Classy-run fundraising site is still up and earning donations even! It shows over $59K, and this figure is due to recurring donations that some ARMY supporters signed up for and also due to other random donations trickling in. As promised in the campaign, we have applied all of these funds to hand component pieces needed to assemble the hands and toward shipping costs. Since the fundraiser, we have been able to ship out 697 LN4 prosthetic hands to people in need! Hooray!!

Do You Know BTS?

I personally had not heard of BTS (I know, I know - living under a rock!! :) but my close teammate on this campaign, Derek, knew all about BTS and was very excited (& got me excited!) to work with ARMY on this campaign! I realized after I recognized some of their songs of course! Our whole team got to learn a lot about BTS and ARMY and have been so impressed. Impressed with the band’s musical abilities and charisma but more so, we have been impressed that the band clearly has a mission to promote kindness, inclusivity, justice, and general goodwill toward others and have a fanbase, ARMY, that is also aligned in that same thinking and means of action! It’s amazing! We are always excited to work with you guys and would love to re-engage with you however and whenever possible!

Support LN4 For OIAA’s Third Anniversary

Visit the donation page created for the organization or scan the QR code on LN4’s poster:

1. Donation Page Link: https://www.classy.org/campaign/helping-hand-with-tae/c319315
2. Donate any amount (a minimum of $1)
3. Take a screenshot and submit it on our tracking form (hide any personal information).
4. Share the campaign with your friends and family.

Follow the instructions and updates about our Throwback Campaign here.

We are completely aware that not everyone is able to contribute through a monetary donation, but your support, in any form, is significant to our campaign. For example, you can share our SNS posts to help increase the reach and visibility of the org amongst your followers. Find us on social media here: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and Amino.