Bike rides, beach days, trips to the park – these are all staples of childhood that kids with disabilities want to experience. They want to be active and mobile like other children in their communities.
But the durable medical equipment necessary to give these kids the independence they desire is often too expensive for many families, especially those with a low household income or too many other expenses necessary for raising a child with special needs. And insurance isn’t always the answer - in many cases, devices like adaptive bikes and special needs strollers are denied, despite their immense physical and therapeutic benefits, because insurance doesn’t consider them to be necessary items. Even wheelchairs can take up to two years to be funded by insurance.
This is where Variety-the Children's Charity of Wisconsin steps in. Variety Kids on the Go! aims to help kids gain mobility, confidence, freedom, independence and the chance to join in the life of their community by providing funding for walkers, wheelchairs, specially-designed adaptive bikes, strollers, prosthetic limbs and other devices to families with the most need. The program also puts more Sunshine Coaches, specially-equipped passenger vans, on the road to provide mobility-disadvantaged children with much-needed transportation to medical care, school, and outreach activities.
Each of our gifts strongly impacts individual children and their families and creates lasting change and improvements in their lives. Perhaps the best way to illustrate this is through sharing the story of one of our children. George came into his adoptive mother Mary’s home as a week-old baby with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome. It meant George—among other things—had the following symptoms common with this chromosomal disorder: Distinctive facial features, profound mental retardation, seizures, low muscle tone, poor muscle development, very short stature, and a heart defect.
George—with the help of Mary and the family—survived some major hurdles. It was considered a huge success that he survived to see his second birthday. Surgery corrected his cleft palate. Medications are controlling his seizures, which he is expected to outgrow. A small hole in his heart repaired itself. At the time of this writing George is a month shy of his fourth birthday...and weighs 15 pounds 10 ounces. “It’s a struggle for every ounce he puts on,” said Mary.
There was one more thing that George needed in order to strengthen his legs, learn balance, and thus transition from his in-home occupational and physical therapy to an early childhood program at the local public school. George needed a special walker. Among other requirements, it had to be custom-made to accommodate his tiny size. The answer was the Gunnell Infant Walker, which could also lead George to someday walk on his own—if Mary could find a way to pay for it. She found Variety. After investigation by the chapter’s Clinic Coordinator, the board approved the $750 purchase, and George’s progress continued. He is pictured at left in his new walker. Good luck, George!
George has made great progress after just having the walker a few months, learning to use his legs in a completely different way and having some measure of mobility for the first time in his life. |
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2009 Ben Marcus Memorial Variety Golf Classic
Enjoy The Links at Grand Geneva and Support Variety. Join us Monday July 20th at the 32nd Annual Ben Marcus Memorial Variety Golf Classic at the beautiful Grand Geneva Resport & Spa. Over the past thirty-one years this event has raised more than $1.5 million for disabled and disadvantaged children. Our goal this year is to raise $100,000 for our Kids on the Go! mobility program which helps Wisconsin families obtain the medical equipment they need to enable their children to participate more fully in family life, school and the community. Register Now!
New this Year…
• Non-golfers can enjoy a cruise on beautiful Lake Geneva and tour the Black Point Estate.
• Special Variety room rates are available for all participants.
• Discounted spa services at the luxurious WELL spa.
• Flexible sponsorship levels.
Golf Registration Includes:
• Golf fees with cart
• Lunch
• Miller and Pepsi refreshments on the course
• Cocktail hour and dinner
• Golfers’ gifts
• Entry in par 3 event holes
• Locker room facilities
• Prizes and trophies
• Driving range 9:30am to noon
• Free entry into a drawing to win one of four ASUS 1000 HE laptops (a $400 value)
Cruise Registration Includes:
• Lunch in Pavillion
• Lake cruise and tour
• Cocktails and dinner
Schedule:
10:30 – 11:30am – Lunch in Pavillion
Noon – Shotgun start
Noon – Lake Cruise & Tour (NEW)
5:30 – 6:30pm – Cocktail Hour & Silent Auction (complimentary bar)
6:30pm – Dinner, Live Auction & Raffle
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