Joy Shines from Heather w/ New Bike
We were so grateful to share in Heather’s smile and joy, as she received her new adaptive bike! Even more so, Heather surprised us with a truly generous donation to sponsor a bike for another child through Giving the Gift of Sight!!
Her mom, Sarah shared what this bike means,
“My hope for this bike is to grow both Heather’s strength and confidence. She struggles with weak muscles in her legs and core, so providing her with a safe method of exercise will greatly benefit her.
I think the bike will not just help her overall health, but also make it easier for her to participate in different activities with family and friends. Even some of the activities she does now will be more enjoyable for her with the bike, such as gardening and making cheese (requiring extended periods of standing in one spot).”
Thanks to Variety’s My Bike® Program, Heather has can experience the joy, freedom, and inclusion through riding her own adaptive bike!
Cole & His Communication Device
Less than a year after receiving his own communication device, Cole’s mom, Michele shared these photos and an update to celebrate!
“Cole has been doing amazingly well with his communication device, and it has opened new opportunities for him to communicate in school with his peers and teachers!
I wanted to share some pictures of Cole using his device in school.On Fridays, his class gets to participate in pushing around the coffee cart offering refreshments to the staff. We uploaded items to his device that match what they do with the cart.
AND NOW, he’s able to go around pushing the cart and communicating with everyone he encounters! He is so proud of himself and it helps to give him the inclusion he deserves.
His speech has also been improving since using the device. I want to send a huge thank to all involved with donating the devices and let them know that it does make a huge difference in our kids’ lives.Recently, his classmates were very excited that Cole could tell them Happy Valentine’s Day, and it brought so much joy to them all!“
Thanks to Variety’s My Voice Program, Cole has a voice to participate and express himself at all times!
Oh, the places Aiden will go!!
Don’t miss reading the immediate difference an adaptive stroller makes for Aiden and his family, as his mom, Kimberlee shared,
“Aiden has difficulty walking long distances and therefore it limits where we can go. He also has a tendency to run from me and I am unable to keep his pace.
An adaptive stroller provides necessary safety as well as freedom to take my son to new places!
Aiden is a bigger 8-year-old boy, and has outgrown all the strollers on the market, so your help obtaining an adaptive stroller allows Aiden and I to experience so many new places.”
Thanks to Variety’s My Stroller® Program, Aiden has an adaptive stroller to take him anywhere!
Charlie’s New Adaptive Bike!
Charlie’s joy was out of this world, as he tested out his new adaptive bike for the first time!
His mom, Robin shared what it means,
“This bike not only gives my son independence and confidence, it also helps him to build very important muscles that right now he has difficulty building.
Seeing Charlie on this bike is such a positive opportunity not just for him, but for our family!
He has been through so much for being such a young child and each day remains positive no matter the challenge. He is an inspiration!”
Thanks to Variety’s My Bike® Program, Charlie now has his own adaptive bike and a new-found freedom!
Strollers for Twin Brothers!
6-year-old twin brothers, Michael and Anthony both received their new adaptive strollers in January.
Their mom, Melissa shared why it’s so much more than a stroller,
“Having adaptive strollers for Michael and Anthony allows for my children to be exposed to community outings safely.
Both boys are an elopement risk and as a result, it makes going out anywhere, including theme parks, stores or even the park a huge challenge!
These special strollers allow for safety, peace of mind, awareness and a better quality of life for my children and me.”
The AllOne Foundation generously sponsored both strollers (and dozens more) for Michael, Anthony, and kids throughout the Northeastern PA region!
A Day of Joy for Monique!
It was a day of JOY when Monique received her second new adaptive stroller (after growing out of the first one)!
We were especially grateful to her mom Tiffany, who helped us understand how critical this equipment is for their whole family, by saying,
“The stroller will help us out tremendously. I am a single parent and do all the transporting to and from multiple monthly doctors’ appointments and outpatient therapies. I also have a medical condition and lifting her heavy wheelchair has caused me to suffer from back pain.
It is very hard transporting Monique in her wheelchair because it alone weighs over 70lbs (not including Monique’s weight). So, we have to pass up trips to zoo or other outings because it’s very hard for me to lift and transport the wheelchair.
We are a previous recipient of a Variety My Stroller, which she had for 7 years. It helped us out a lot but unfortunately, she has physically outgrown the stroller. With a new adaptive stroller, we can attend field trips and do other extracurricular activities with ease, so we’re very excited for the new stroller.”
Thanks to Variety’s My Stroller® Program, Monique AND her family can go anywhere, together!
Addie Is Learning Languages w/ Device!
Last October, Addie received her second communication device from Variety’s My Voice® Program.
The night she got her new device, Addie’s mom, Hope shared with joy,
“Today, Addie brought home her new Variety communication device!
She already loves exploring all the libraries and vocabulary options on it, and I’ve included a photo of her exploring the Spanish language library!
This makes me so happy because Addie LOVES different languages, and currently, her favorite library books are foreign language dictionaries!
We have Spanish, Polish, German and Italian children’s dictionaries at home right now.
Addie loves Dora the Explorer and has spontaneously typed phrases in Spanish on several occasions.
So, we were THRILLED to see a Spanish language library (and French!) Included in the TouchChat software!
I am really looking forward to Addie learning more Spanish and showing us what she can do with her new communication device!
We are so incredibly grateful!”
P.S. You can help us, help even more kids with a donation of any amount, or by simply sharing our program handout with those in your community. You just never know how your support will help another child live life to the fullest.
Variety’s New CEO & More Smiles to Come
Thank you!
Truly, thank you for helping to make the last twelve-years full of hope and life-changing impact for kids with disabilities and their families.
It has been a privilege to serve as Variety’s CEO and be a helper with you.
Since 2012, we’ve provided nearly 7,000 adaptive bikes, adaptive strollers, and communication devices to kids (worth more than $10.4 million in equipment).
With the equipment, parents tell us that kids have gotten to ride bikes with their siblings for the first time, gotten to go out into the community safely with their families, and even, gotten to tell their parents, I love you… all because of the community’s support.
Variety is thrilled to announce Tom Baker as our newest CEO! The attached press release gives more details, but we’re incredibly grateful to welcome Tom to the team. He is going to lead Variety into a new era of impact!
As we finish up another extraordinary year, I hope you’ll pause to smile and celebrate ALL the kids and families we’ve helped, together.
Be on the lookout for even more smiles in 2024 from Director of Communications, Zach Marsh, as Variety kicks off the new year with a handful of presentations!
Once again, thank you so much for being a part of Variety’s work, where IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!
Happy New Year,
Charlie
P.S. One more reason to smile…
5-year-old, James received his own communication device in July, and then at the end of September, we received this joyful message from his Speech Language Pathologist, Stephanie, “James received his communication device this summer, and I did programming and worked with the family… Fortunately, this student is now verbally fluent! It is like something just clicked! Thank you so much! This program is amazing!”
Charles P. LaVallee
Chief Executive Officer
Variety – the Children’s Charity
My Holiday Hope & Owen’s Joy!
With it being my last holiday season as your Chief ‘Excitement’ Officer, I hope you’ll consider an end-of-year donation to celebrate all the impact we’ve created together over many years.
Community support has been critical to the success of our programs, which are truly changing the lives of kids with disabilities and their families for the better.
Since 2012, Variety has presented more than 6,900 adaptive bikes, adaptive strollers, and communication devices (worth more than $10.4 million in equipment) – thanks to incredible community supporters.
If you’re able, you can give a donation online at www.varietypittsburgh.org/donate, or can use this donation form to mail in a donation — truly, any amount makes such a difference.
As a special thanks, I wanted to share a photo of Owen, who used his communication device to visit with Santa Claus a few weeks ago!
Owen’s mom, Danielle shared with joy, “Owen has been doing amazing with his communication device. It’s been life changing! We just got out Santa pictures and I had to share this with you. Thank you for everything!”
Thanks for being a part of Variety’s work, where IT’S ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!
Take good care,
Charlie
Charles P. LaVallee
Chief Executive Officer
Variety – the Children’s Charity
You Just Never Know
An easy way to support Variety 365 days a year is by simply talking about what we’re doing with those you know or meet.
What I’ve found is that you just never know the difference you’ll make by bringing up and sharing Varety’s programs with those in the community.
Some recent examples of “You Just Never Know” conversations in the community:
- Earlier this month, we joined Al Todd and Al’s Bike Drive for their celebratory banquet at Wildwood Country Club – wrapping up their 2023 campaign. There, I got to speak with a staff member at the Club, and it turns out, they have a grandchild who is nonverbal and might benefit from a communication device and they planned to follow-up immediately.
- When I was interviewed in October for this article in the Trib, I met with the reporter, Natalie in-person. We ended up talking 2 to 3 hours, as I quikcly came to learn that her daughter, Penelope has autism and is nonverbal. Natalie never heard about Variety’s programs before our meeting.
Coming full circle, Penelope was fit for her own adaptive bike at Wildwood as part of the banquet for Al’s Bike Drive. Natalie and Penelope will join us in January to receive her new bike at Covestro!
Penelope is also in-process to receive a communication device as well!
- Two weeks ago, I was talking to another woman in the community, and her son is dating a girl whose sister is nonverbal. After learning about our My Voice® Program, this mom and her son planned to share our program information in hopes that the child could benefit.
- A few months ago, I picked up lunch in Wexford, and at the time, I was wearing a vest with Variety’s logo on it. The woman helping me saw Variety and said, “My child’s therapist just suggested we apply to Variety for an adaptive stroller, as my daughter is an eloper.” So, I got to explain the impact we’ve heard from other families and encourage her to apply.
Maybe 2024 can be the “You Just Never Know” campaign to identify even more kids throughout our service area and ensure every family knows that our programs exist.
Here’s a special photo of Penelope from her bike fitting! What was so meaningful is how calm she became once she got onto the bike. She loved it so much, she stayed on it through the banquet’s lunch.
Thanks for everything you do to share Variety’s mission because you just never know whose child you’ll help get equipment (feel free to utilize our program handout and list of barriers to reach kids in your community).
Take good care,
Charlie
Charles P. LaVallee
Chief Executive Officer
Variety – the Children’s Charity