Her sturdy black wheelchair might not look flashy, but it's a luxury vehicle in the eyes of Kathy Isherwood of Jefferson Township.

"That's my Cadillac now," Isherwood said with a laugh. "I promised them I wouldn't speed!"

Boy Scout Troop 53 of Penn Township presented the wheelchair to Isherwood March 29 at Nixon United Methodist Church, complete with a tote bag and quilt made by the church's sewing circle.

"We wanted to do a good deed," said Paul Walter of Penn Township, the troop's assistant scoutmaster and den leader.

About 35 people attended the presentation, including the boys, their families, sewing circle members, Isherwood and her daughter Kathleen Robinson of Butler.

"There were a lot of tears," Walter said. "It makes me feel good in my heart. I feel this is the right thing to do."

The boys, ages 12 to 17, maintain a collection trailer for aluminum cans at Drive-Thru Beverages in Butler Township. Proceeds from recycling the cans are used for various projects and community outreach efforts, Walter said.

At 55 cents per pound for the scrap aluminum, it took about three months to collect the necessary funds.

The chair was then purchased for about $300 from a local vendor who gave the troop a discounted rate.

Walter and Isherwood are community acquaintances.

Isherwood suffers from arthritis and relied on a cane until she hurt her knee in a recent fall.

Her mobility was becoming an issue, but she was still surprised when Walter told her of the troop's plan.

"I thought there might be somebody out there who would need it more so than I," Isherwood said.

Nixon United Methodist Church sponsors the troop and provides them with a meeting place. The sewing circle is part of the church's outreach committee, chaired by Janet Black of Penn Township.

The sewing circle and Boy Scouts meet at the same time each week at the church and often interact, Black said.

"As a sewing group, we're always looking for projects to do," Black said. "We thought, wouldn't it be nice to make something to go along with the wheelchair? We wanted to help out the Scouts, too, and to make it a whole package."

The sewing circle spent about three meetings working on the bag and quilt, using patriotic-patterned fabric in Isherwood's favorite colors: red, white and blue.

"I really love Old Glory," said Isherwood, whose late husband Ervine was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in World War II.

Walter said the troop would keep collecting cans and do something similar in the future.

"The more cans we collect, the more opportunities we'll have," said Walter. "None of this money goes to waste; it's all used properly."

Scouting provides a positive focus for young men and steers them away from harmful activities, he said, in addition to serving the community.

Thanks to her new wheelchair, Isherwood planned a weekend visit to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh.

"That will be easier on everybody and especially me," she said.

"I truly appreciate everything they have done. It's meant a lot," she added. "I've never had anything like this happen before and I just couldn't believe that these boys work so hard and do things like that for other people."