This week on Good News Fridays, I am talking about three projects that needs your support! These three stories are great reads!
Noah Sartin Wheelchair Van Contest
In Oxford, Noah Sartin has a rare genetic disorder called Xq28 duplication, which limits the function of his brain and lungs. Noah also has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which causes regular seizures. Noah has even had brain surgery to help with the seizures, but it has not been helpful. Noah’s mother takes care of him throughout the day and transports Noah to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for appointments and treatments. You see, Noah is 12 years old, and it’s tough for his mother to lift him in and out of the van. That is why they have entered a contest to win a customized van!
If Noah’s family wins this contest, they will win a customized van with a motorized lift that helps wheelchairs in and out of the special van. The family currently drives a 2004 minivan with over 130,000 miles. Since it is not handicap accessible, she has to lift Noah to transfer him from his wheelchair. This is no longer safe, and as he grows will only become more difficult. Noah and his mother are truly local heroes—theirs is a story of love, dedication, and perseverance. To vote for Noah, go to: http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/metha-dover-oxford-al/
Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney
What a great story this week from the New York Times! Owen Suskind has autism and has trouble communicating with other people including his parents. Owen loved anything Disney, and his parents had Owen watching a lot of Disney movies. One day, the father Ron Suskind tried to communicate with his son by talking like the character Iago from Aladdin, and things took off!
Soon, Owen had puppet shows with Disney characters and was getting more things from Disney. Today, both father and son talk to each other like the characters from various Disney movies, and this is an awesome story! I hope you have some time to read the story from the New York Times, and watch the video below! Anyone with Autism, including me, can have a successful life!
Read the story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/magazine/reaching-my-autistic-son-through-disney.html
Mobile Loaves & Fishes
SXSW has been going on in Austin Texas for the last week, and thousands of people have converged on the Lone Star State. Although many people are in Austin, some are less fortunate and are homeless in the city. Here are the facts, more than 2,300 people are homeless in Austin on any given night. Up to 50% of the city’s chronically homeless population, those who have been homeless for at least a year or four times in the past three years, are considered at high risk of imminent mortality. People have not forgotten about the homeless while at SXSW. For example, Medallia partnered up with the Austin-based Foundation for the Homeless to collect swag from conference attendees. Then they’ll take those donations and give them to Austin’s homeless.
Another nonprofit called Mobile Loaves & Fishes, found jobs for the homeless in collaboration with vendors. One vendor is selling socks packaged by the homeless, another vendor is selling flip-flops painted and packaged by some homeless. This opportunity is giving the homeless a chance to earn a dignified living without being on the corners panhandling. Mobile Loaves & Fishes has also started a 27 acre master-planned community in 2013 that will provide affordable, sustainable housing for the disabled and chronically homeless in Central Texas. If you would like to donate to the homeless community, go to: http://mlf.org/community-first/
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