The Friends of the Florence Nightingale Museum, a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Ohio, needs your help to save the founder of modern nursing's wheelchair and transport it back to the Florence Nightingale Museum in London, England so it can be displayed and enjoyed by all!

After being stored for many years in the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, an opportunity has come up to relocate Miss Nightingale’s wheelchair, but the costs of transporting it to the U.K. are close to $15,000! We are reaching out far and wide to attract donors in the U.S. to contribute to our fundraiser.

This amount will cover conservation-grade packaging and transportation to the UK, where it will become part of the largest and most important collection of 'Nightingalia' in the world. Your tax-deductible support will also allow the Nightingale Museum to tell the story of the object in an inspiring and engaging way. Indeed, anyone donating over $1,000 will be offered the chance to take part in the creation of a short film, explaining why they feel the wheelchair is educational, inspirational and must be preserved for future generations.

Dame Christine Beasley, Chair of the Museum said, "This is a unique and exciting opportunity to acquire an object that we are sure will prove to be popular with visitors. The timing for this potential acquisition couldn't be better, as we are currently working on an exhibition that will celebrate the work of those who nurse within the armed forces. This means the object will be displayed immediately upon arrival. We just need help to secure the funds." David Green, Director of the Museum added, "I've been aware of this object for a long time and the opportunity to add it to our collection must not be missed. In many ways it's iconic. The wheelchair, which Nightingale must have relied upon so much, has been overseas for over a century. It's now time for us to pull together and bring this piece of history home to the UK, where it can play its part in inspiring others, giving further representation and recognition of those with disabilities within our collections and storytelling."

Friends of the Florence Nightingale Museum (FFNM) is a separate legal entity from the Florence Nightingale Museum in London, UK. The Friends are happy to be supporting this effort! Established as not-for-profit corporation under Chapter 1702 of the Ohio Revised Code, FFNM has a 501(c)3 status per the United States Internal Revenue Service. This allows U.S. taxpayers to deduct contributions to Friends of the Florence Nightingale Museum on their federal tax returns.