The humanitarian work whetted his appetite for future trips, and Glumac has since visited Vietnam, Columbia and in January to the Gaza Strip.
"Since that first trip, most of the trips have had a wheelchair emphasis," he said. "A number of wheelchairs are sent over and then a team fits wheelchairs and supplies technical expertise."
The wheelchairs are a mix of new and old, but even the used ones are refurbished.
"In some cases there are people waiting for more than a year for these chairs," he said. "It's typical when we get there to have a long line of a couple hundred people who have been waiting for hours."
The recipients are all referred by human service agencies in the countries.
"Some have always relied on others to get them from place to place," Glumac said.
He said in Vietnam he saw a lot of war veterans and amputees who needed chairs.
In the Gaza Strip, many were men involved in recent fighting.
In addition to wheelchairs, the organizations provide walkers and crutches and Glumac performs physical-therapy services.
"It's incredibly intense. We see a lot of activity and a lot of excitement," he said. "In a lot of ways we're physically tired, but emotionally we're on a high."
He said there are always a mixture of tears, hugs and handshakes once a person receives his or her chair.
"People are usually very grateful, In some cases they've had a lifetime of disability," he said.
While the chairs are all-new or like-new, sometimes extensive modifications need to be done, particularly with children.
That's where ingenuity and reliance on local volunteers kick in.
Glumac said sometimes parts can be swapped from the other wheelchairs, but other times he has to ask for help from a local welder to make a part.
Glumac was recognized for his volunteerism this fall with the state Physical Therapy Association's Humanitarian Award for 2000.
"I saw it as an opportunity to ask fellow therapists to consider engaging in similar activities and volunteer locally or internationally," said Glumac, who added he was caught unaware by the award.
Glumac said he will continue to make future trips.
"The effort you put in is small in terms of what you get back," he said.
Anyone with a used wheelchair to donate can call Glumac at 1-717-749-6217 and leave a message.
