Tag: My Stroller
Strolling Away with A SMILE
We are fortunate to help so many kids and families. They are truly at the center of everything we do, especially in helping us understand how truly life-changing our programs are for them.
9-year old Hannah is pictured above in her new PINK adaptive stroller that provides her with safe, easy, on-the-go mobility.
Hannah is surrounded by her two sisters, Lauren and Katie, along with her mom, Barbara, who were all thrilled about Hannah’s new “set of wheels” because it meant togetherness.
Barbara’s words help us understand the immediate impact that the stroller created:
“Hannah isn’t able to walk independently, so our family is always looking for ways to include Hannah in our everyday activities. All too often we’ve been limited to picking the one wheelchair that will best suit her needs.
Unfortunately, that means we choose what is most practical for school and the indoors. But, if you’ve ever tried to push a traditional wheelchair through a snowy parking lot or across a gravel pathway, you know how difficult and uncomfortable it can be in the great outdoors!
We dream of being able to have the best of both worlds.
For Hannah, and our family, having a Mighty Lite stroller means she can join her siblings on a stroll down our gravel road, or on a hike on a path out into the woods!
She’d be able to navigate the walkways at local parks or the local ski slope, where her dad and siblings like to entertain her with their slips and slides.
For mommy, it means getting outside more and perhaps even ‘off the beaten path’ a little, and it will allow Mom and Hannah to more easily join the rest of the family on adventures.
A stroller made for travel and the outdoors will literally mean the world to us — for it gives Hannah the opportunity to explore the world around her like never before!”
My Stroller is helping families stay safe, stay together, and live more freely.
This isn’t just a stroller, but a life-changing piece of equipment that has an immediate impact on not only the child, but their entire family.
It’s a beautiful thing, and we hope it brings a smile to your week to know that Hannah has her new set of wheels.
Noah-On-The-GO
Noah is ON-THE-GO now that he has his own adaptive bike AND adaptive stroller from Variety, and we love the update below that his mom sent me! We hope it makes you smile.
Noah’s mom, Breanne shared,
“My son Noah has received an adaptive bike and adaptive stroller through Variety! We got the bike for Noah, so he can get exercise and enjoy the outdoors (just like us).
Noah loves his bike, and each year as he gets stronger, he’s able to peddle better and better!
We have even had Noah in two local kids bike races! People love cheering on Noah at these events.
I love that he can join his peers in these exciting events, but I also love that people are getting exposed to children like Noah. I hear the kids ask their parents questions about Noah’s bike, and the other parents always say how cool his bike is!
We asked for an adaptive stroller for safety reasons because Noah (like many kids) is an eloper.
Even walking through a parking lot can be scary. Noah will just take off at a moment’s notice, and he doesn’t understand cars or strangers – but now, the stroller keeps him safe.
He is also starting to get to be too big to sit in the cart seats. So, this stroller helps me keep him close by when shopping, and still allows him to come with me as we enjoy that experience together.
I am very grateful that the Variety program offers these to our families, so we can continue to live out in the community as a whole family.”
Variety’s work is truly ALL ABOUT THE KIDS!
P.S. ICYMI – Help to share and support Variety’s KOTG Mobility Campaign, a critical need to fund more adaptive bikes and adaptive strollers for kids, who deserve to be on-the-go.
The Entire Family Is Impacted Immediately by My Stroller®
From the very first push, an adaptive stroller creates a life-changing impact.
This light-weight equipment is giving families the chance to participate in the community safely AND comfortably. It is allowing families to be “on-the-go” and truly live life to the fullest… together!
I had no idea how transformative an adaptive stroller would be for our families when Variety began its My Stroller® Program, so here is a quick overview to bring you more into their lives.
The adaptive stroller only weighs 29-pounds, and it conveniently folds up like a toddler’s “umbrella stroller” to easily fit in a car trunk.
As a comparison, a power-wheelchair (which many of our kids also use and need) can weigh 100’s of pounds and can’t be broken down easily. So, many families have to take apart the wheelchair every time they want to take their child in the car.
The adaptive stroller gives families the ability to be more “on-the-go” when things come up unexpectedly and make it easier for them to participate in the community.
Adaptive strollers also provide incredible safely, and especially for kids / youth that run off, or away when in the community, this equipment makes a world of difference.
Parents, siblings, and even grandparents have highlighted these details to me to help explain why an adaptive stroller makes such a dramatic difference in all their lives.
Variety’s My Stroller Program provides eligible children with disabilities (ages 3 through 21) with their own adaptive stroller (i.e., a Kid Kart Mighty Lite) at no cost to the family.
You can be a part of making a difference today by supporting Variety’s My Stroller Program.
Any donation truly helps, as we strive to give kids and their families mobility equipment that will let them thrive!
For kids like, Jace (pictured below), receiving an adaptive stroller is transformative, and his mom, Kim shared WHY it is so important, by saying,
“I cannot take Jace, as well as his 3-year-old typical brother out together because if one of them gets away from me, I can’t leave the other to chase them. It is not just exhausting, it is scary.
Jace is also getting too heavy to lift, so the stroller enables us to go out and participate in the community, and to no longer be isolated at home.”
Variety’s work is certainly not the solution to all of life’s problems, but we feel privileged to provide such life-changing equipment to these extraordinary kids and their families.
At Variety, we are all about HELPING KIDS, BE KIDS!
Take good care,
Charlie
Charles P. LaVallee
Chief Executive Officer
Variety – the Children’s Charity
P.S. For families that are interested in an adaptive stroller (or an adaptive bike and/or communication device), please visit Variety’s website (www.varietypittsburgh.org/applynow) to learn more about the program eligibility and/or to apply. If you have questions or need help, please contact Variety at (724) 933-0460 or at info@varietypittsburgh.org.
Just Some GOOD NEWS
Some good news to bring a smile to your faces.
We partnered with the incredible teams at Covestro and Blackburn’s this past Tuesday to distribute 25 adaptive bikes and adaptive strollers to kids with disabilities!
I hope you’ll take a moment to share in the joy of the day by watching this 40-second piece by KDKA-TV – https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/10/28/adaptive-bicycle-charity-donation/.
CARTER’S NEW ADAPTIVE BIKE!
When 8-year old Carter was fit for an adaptive bike in September and trialed one, his mom Lisa shared, “After we got him at 5 months of age, we finally got a diagnosis of his condition and we were told that he would not walk or talk… Well, here he is today riding a bike!!! I’ve never seen him peddle before. This is awesome that he can do it, and now he will be able to go on bike rides with the family.”
Now, Carter is ready for ALL the family bike rides, memories, and fun!
LEVI’S NEW ADAPTIVE STROLLER!
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and for Levi’s family, they found a way to make it to Tuesday’s presentation from Wheeling, WV to receive Levi’s new adaptive stroller!
The stroller will help to keep Levi safe because he is an “escape artist”, as his dad, Harry mentioned at the presentation. When the family goes out into the community, they won’t have to worry about keeping Levi safe.
To describe it further, Levi’s mom, Kathy explained, “I’m unable to walk with Levi because of my health issues, but beyond that, no one else can either. He slips out of your hand in a blink of an eye and runs, FAST. He has already gotten out from our house.”
HANNAH’S NEW ADAPTIVE BIKE!
For 5-year old Hannah, an adaptive bike will let her experience something fun with her siblings! Her mom, Lisa put into words what this bike would mean, “Hannah has 3 siblings, and she loves to go outside with them. They ride bike and scooters with the other kids in the neighborhood, and Hannah would have so much fun if she could follow along and do the same!
She ends up frustrated when the bike won’t move for her, and when we try to push it, her feet get caught under the pedals, so an adaptive bike would be amazing for her!”
Stay tuned for more good news to come soon!
The Impact Doubled for Brayden & Brooke!
On Monday, January 27th, Variety presented adaptive equipment in Erie, and what a day it was!
6-year old Brayden received a communication device AND a bike, and you have to read what his mom shared…
“Brayden is nonverbal, so he doesn’t speak, so this device is going to really help him. And it’s just, it gets tough because I’m a single mom at home, I have limited income and I have another child who’s high functioning autistic. She speaks and everything, but she’s just having some trouble with emotions and dealing with others.
And so we just take one day at a time, but he’s just – all of these kids with special needs are such blessings, but it’s hard, it’s really hard sometimes. And you just want to make it as normal for them as possible, because they have enough challenges, so you just want to give them love and help them communicate as best they can. So I’m very thankful.”
Earlier that day, Variety held a Press Conference with City of Erie Mayor Joseph Schember, Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Dr. Christopher Clark, representatives from Intermediate Unit 5, Barber National Institute, and others from the Northwestern corner of Pa. to make a big push to identify every eligible child who could benefit from their own communication device.