A Bentley Mobile for the Bentley Mobile!
A BENTLEY MOBILE FOR HIS BENTLEY MOBILE
Who is ZAMMY and why are we trying to help?
First, my name is Todd Pitner and I’m blessed with the opportunity to raise and share Zammy the GIANT Sheepadoodle with the entire world. Search for ZammyPup on Instagram and you will quickly see what I mean. Our gentle giant Zammy is the Shriners Hospital for Children therapy dog in Tampa, Florida. He spreads an amazing amount of joy and love to children and families in need. It is at Shriners that we met Bentley Rogers and his amazing family.
About Bentley Rogers
Bentley is a super sweet and loving 7-year old, who has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. He is full of life and personality. He loves sports, music, video games, cars and animals! He is a huge Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays fan. He’s so smart, beyond his years. He is the sweetest, kind-hearted caring soul, you’ll ever meet. Despite his daily struggles, Bentley never gives up, he is always determined. If you think he can’t do something, he will do everything in his power to prove you wrong. He has goals, and when he sets his mind on something, nothing’s going to stop him.
Bentley has a wonderful, loving family (mom, dad and two sisters) who sacrifice daily to ensure Bentley gets proper medical care, therapy and the modest amount of equipment to ATTEMPT to manage some kind of normalcy (a manual wheelchair of which 5’2” mom has to physically lift him in and out wherever she goes, a shower chair, toilet chair, leg braces, hand splints). PLEASE NOTE: Bentley is getting almost as big as his mom – who is experiencing back problems and often cries with pain when lifting Bentley in and out of their van, a van that cannot be converted for a power wheelchair.
Permobil K450 MX Power Wheelchair
Bentley’s frail body is “allergic” to his manual wheelchair. It fits improperly and is incredibly uncomfortable. To this day, he cannot sit in it longer than 30-minutes without mom picking him up and giving his poor little body a break. With Linda being his primary caregiver – and having a bad back – you can only imagine the painful daily sacrifice she goes through to keep Bentley comfortable. HOWEVER, there’s a blessing and a curse. After battling BIG INSURANCE for over a year (of denial, denial, denial), Bentley was finally able to get an amazing power wheelchair that provides almost total independence…at home. That’s the blessing (please view and share the opening video). The curse is that this family’s van that has 130,000 miles on it cannot be converted to transport this amazing Bentley Mobile into the world outside. Imagine being “so close” to family independence, yet SO FAR away. Again, BIG HEALTHCARE/INSURANCE has denied all appeals to help this family secure a conversion van to transport Bentley’s power wheelchair, so he can interact and integrate into the outside world, independently.
The Goal of this Fundraiser
Dear reader, let’s help this family get a conversion van that provides the true blessing of independence for Bentley, his parents and sweet sisters. They have no financial means to come anywhere close to getting a conversion van, or even qualifying for an auto loan. If you are personally familiar with BIG HEALTHCARE and BIG INSURANCE, you know that when we or our loved ones are sick, financial ruin is a very real outcome. This family’s finances have literally been decimated. They have nothing. We have everything. The “collective we” should be able to help Bentley. Will you?!
While the ‘Use of Funds’ is outlined below, this fundraiser is for $79,995 – the investment needed to entirely bless this family with a Mobile for Bentley’s Mobile.
Zammy’s Following Friends...and YOU!
My family and I have been so blessed. I imagine you and your family have been as well. I see the plight of Bentley and his family and it humbles me. They didn’t ask me to do this – and literally broke out in tears when I shared that I was. ZammyPup has 133,000 followers. It is our goal to raise $79,995 to help this family acquire a conversion van with the ability to transport Bentley’s Power Wheelchair. In my rich imagination, if only HALF of Zammy's followers donated ONE dollar, we’re almost there. If 10% of Zammy’s following friends donated $5, we’d hit our goal. That’s the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee! And this doesn’t even include you. I’m appealing to your heart, for this wonderful family.
Will you please help? Help this beautiful family by donating whatever you can, a small amount or large. Moreover, if you could please share this GoFundMe with all your friends, family and colleagues through whatever social media you can, that would help. The difference between this fundraiser going viral and not begins with each and every one of us and our simple initiative to share. Please? Will you? Donate and share?
Believe me, this family will be forever grateful. Let’s do this, shall we?!
------------ Supporting Information Below ------------
The M.U.C.H. Foundation (5013C)
For this fundraiser, we have enlisted the help and support of The M.U.C.H. Foundation – a foundation that has worked tirelessly to create relationships between the medical device and engineering worlds to help children receive far more advanced technology in their robotic limbs and their disabilities such as sight and hearing impairment. 100% of the funds raised here will be deposited directly with the foundation to ensure that the Rogers family is able to use the funds as outlined below without tax or legal consequence. It was my (Todd Pitner) mission to set this fundraiser up legally so that donors can trust that their donations are used for the express purpose of helping this family get the right equipment to transport Bentley and the Bentley Mobile.
Use of Funds
What I learned from the M.U.C.H. Foundation is that you “hope for the best” ($79,995) with a fundraising initiative, but plan for the worst. What that means is that we must clearly articulate the use of funds 'in the perfect world' should we achieve our fundraising goal. However, if we miss the mark, we ALSO need to outline the use of funds for alternative equipment that may not achieve what we had hoped for, but will certainly help this family achieve a better quality of life. For them to still use the funds raised (if the expressed goal hasn’t been met), then we need to outline how else they will use the funds, and the M.U.C.H. Foundation will ensure that proper use of funds is demonstrated. So that means YOU can feel confident that any donation you provide will be put to good use. All non-profit processing fees will be accounted for in the raise.
I’m an optimist and believe in the benevolence of others…who are equally blessed with general good health and the ability to afford a cup of Starbucks coffee. Or better, to forego one for the benefit of the Rogers family.
Here is a list of how the funds will be used, both if we achieve our fundraising goal or otherwise:
NEW Converted Vans (Options):
• 2019 Dodge Caravan Manual Rear Entry $43,429 (van- $29,429, conversion- $14,000)
• 2019 Dodge Caravan Power Rear Entry $48,979 (van- $29,429, conversion - $19,550)
• 2019 Toyota Sienna Manual Rear Entry $53,575 (van- $34,990, conversion - $18,585)
• 2019 Toyota Sienna Power Rear Entry $56,425 (van - $34,990, conversion - $21,435)
• 2018 Mercedes Benz Rear Entry $58,368
USED Converted Vans (Options):
• 2016 Mercedes Benz Metris Rear Entry $43,900
• 2017 Mercedes Benz Metris Rear Entry $48,900
• 2017 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $34,900
• 2016 Dodge Caravan Rear Entry $29,900
• 2016 Chrysler Town & Country Rear Entry $28,990
• 2014 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $31,700
• 2015 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $33,990
• 2015 Dodge Caravan Rear Entry $29,500
NEW Not Yet Converted Vans (Options):
• 2019 Dodge Caravan SE $25,232 - $26,419
• 2019 Honda Odyssey LX $28,580 - $30,585
• 2018 Mercedes Benz Metris $34,800 - $38,430
• 2019 Toyota Sienna L $27,979 - $31,118
USED Not Yet Converted Vans (Options):
• 2017 Dodge Caravan SE $22,725 - $24,798
• 2018 Dodge Caravan SE $24,309 - $26,108
• 2017 Honda Odyssey LX $26,707 - $29,020
• 2018 Honda Odyssey LX $27,699 - $29,596
• 2016 Mercedes Benz Metris $17,800 - $19,998
• 2017 Mercedes Benz Metris $28,900 - $30,030
• 2017 Toyota Sienna L $25,629 - $27,745
• 2018 Toyota Sienna L $27,622 - $29,280
Van Conversion Prices: $10,000 - $21,000+
"OTHER" things the Rogers family can use if the goal is not reached:
• A van that is not yet converted, but can be in the future (prices range).
• Comfy Lift Bed (A special bed ideal for people with special needs. We've been through so many mattresses for Bentley, and still haven't found one that fits his needs. He wakes up often every night, and this bed would benefit him so much with his disability and his sleep apnea.)
mattress- $3,399
cover- $900
frame- $600
backlift- $300
TOTAL- $5,199
• Freeloader Child Carrier (A child carrier for special needs children. Sometimes it isn't the easiest thing to get a wheelchair to certain places. Bentley is also getting a bit too big for me to just up and carry. This child carrier would help me be able to carry him with the added support. So say we go to the parks, hiking, sporting events, I could put him in this and carry him there without having to worry about his wheelchair. I mean have you ever tried pushing a wheelchair up a hiking trail or up and down sets of stairs?)
$299.00 + shipping
• Firefly Upsee Harness (An upright mobility device designed for kids with disabilities. What Bentley wants more than anything is to be able to walk and run around, chasing his sisters in the yard. This harness would allow Bentley to be able to have the sensation of walking and running around to play with his sisters and friends. We have always wanted one of these for him before he got too big for one, but unfortunately insurance will not pay for it because it is not medically necessary, and funds have never been there for us to be able to purchase one on our own.)
$535.00
• Rifton Adaptive Tricycle (A special needs bike. Bentley can't ride a regular bike, like other kids his age. He loves riding this bike at therapy every week. Unfortunately, insurance won't pay for this either, as they've deemed it medically unnecessary.)
• Part-time at home nurse care (Insurance will not provide a part time nurse for Bentley because my doctor hasn't diagnosed me (Linda) with being medically unfit to care for him, also because he doesn't have any tubes on him. I am only 5'2, less than 120 lbs., Bentley is already 4 ft. tall and over 40 lbs. That might not seem very big or heavy, but he is all dead weight. Due to his physical disability, he can't help hold himself up when I lift on him to transfer him from point A to point B. I have my own back muscle and nerve problems going on, that I try to manage, so this gets very challenging for me at times, and being able to get help from a part-time nurse every now and then, would be beyond a helpful blessing for me. I wouldn't want one around all the time, but I would love to be able to hire one when it's one of those challenging, painful days.
The average cost for an at home nurse is $200+
Who is ZAMMY and why are we trying to help?
First, my name is Todd Pitner and I’m blessed with the opportunity to raise and share Zammy the GIANT Sheepadoodle with the entire world. Search for ZammyPup on Instagram and you will quickly see what I mean. Our gentle giant Zammy is the Shriners Hospital for Children therapy dog in Tampa, Florida. He spreads an amazing amount of joy and love to children and families in need. It is at Shriners that we met Bentley Rogers and his amazing family.
About Bentley Rogers
Bentley is a super sweet and loving 7-year old, who has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. He is full of life and personality. He loves sports, music, video games, cars and animals! He is a huge Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays fan. He’s so smart, beyond his years. He is the sweetest, kind-hearted caring soul, you’ll ever meet. Despite his daily struggles, Bentley never gives up, he is always determined. If you think he can’t do something, he will do everything in his power to prove you wrong. He has goals, and when he sets his mind on something, nothing’s going to stop him.
Bentley has a wonderful, loving family (mom, dad and two sisters) who sacrifice daily to ensure Bentley gets proper medical care, therapy and the modest amount of equipment to ATTEMPT to manage some kind of normalcy (a manual wheelchair of which 5’2” mom has to physically lift him in and out wherever she goes, a shower chair, toilet chair, leg braces, hand splints). PLEASE NOTE: Bentley is getting almost as big as his mom – who is experiencing back problems and often cries with pain when lifting Bentley in and out of their van, a van that cannot be converted for a power wheelchair.
Permobil K450 MX Power Wheelchair
Bentley’s frail body is “allergic” to his manual wheelchair. It fits improperly and is incredibly uncomfortable. To this day, he cannot sit in it longer than 30-minutes without mom picking him up and giving his poor little body a break. With Linda being his primary caregiver – and having a bad back – you can only imagine the painful daily sacrifice she goes through to keep Bentley comfortable. HOWEVER, there’s a blessing and a curse. After battling BIG INSURANCE for over a year (of denial, denial, denial), Bentley was finally able to get an amazing power wheelchair that provides almost total independence…at home. That’s the blessing (please view and share the opening video). The curse is that this family’s van that has 130,000 miles on it cannot be converted to transport this amazing Bentley Mobile into the world outside. Imagine being “so close” to family independence, yet SO FAR away. Again, BIG HEALTHCARE/INSURANCE has denied all appeals to help this family secure a conversion van to transport Bentley’s power wheelchair, so he can interact and integrate into the outside world, independently.
The Goal of this Fundraiser
Dear reader, let’s help this family get a conversion van that provides the true blessing of independence for Bentley, his parents and sweet sisters. They have no financial means to come anywhere close to getting a conversion van, or even qualifying for an auto loan. If you are personally familiar with BIG HEALTHCARE and BIG INSURANCE, you know that when we or our loved ones are sick, financial ruin is a very real outcome. This family’s finances have literally been decimated. They have nothing. We have everything. The “collective we” should be able to help Bentley. Will you?!
While the ‘Use of Funds’ is outlined below, this fundraiser is for $79,995 – the investment needed to entirely bless this family with a Mobile for Bentley’s Mobile.
Zammy’s Following Friends...and YOU!
My family and I have been so blessed. I imagine you and your family have been as well. I see the plight of Bentley and his family and it humbles me. They didn’t ask me to do this – and literally broke out in tears when I shared that I was. ZammyPup has 133,000 followers. It is our goal to raise $79,995 to help this family acquire a conversion van with the ability to transport Bentley’s Power Wheelchair. In my rich imagination, if only HALF of Zammy's followers donated ONE dollar, we’re almost there. If 10% of Zammy’s following friends donated $5, we’d hit our goal. That’s the price of a cup of Starbucks coffee! And this doesn’t even include you. I’m appealing to your heart, for this wonderful family.
Will you please help? Help this beautiful family by donating whatever you can, a small amount or large. Moreover, if you could please share this GoFundMe with all your friends, family and colleagues through whatever social media you can, that would help. The difference between this fundraiser going viral and not begins with each and every one of us and our simple initiative to share. Please? Will you? Donate and share?
Believe me, this family will be forever grateful. Let’s do this, shall we?!
------------ Supporting Information Below ------------
The M.U.C.H. Foundation (5013C)
For this fundraiser, we have enlisted the help and support of The M.U.C.H. Foundation – a foundation that has worked tirelessly to create relationships between the medical device and engineering worlds to help children receive far more advanced technology in their robotic limbs and their disabilities such as sight and hearing impairment. 100% of the funds raised here will be deposited directly with the foundation to ensure that the Rogers family is able to use the funds as outlined below without tax or legal consequence. It was my (Todd Pitner) mission to set this fundraiser up legally so that donors can trust that their donations are used for the express purpose of helping this family get the right equipment to transport Bentley and the Bentley Mobile.
Use of Funds
What I learned from the M.U.C.H. Foundation is that you “hope for the best” ($79,995) with a fundraising initiative, but plan for the worst. What that means is that we must clearly articulate the use of funds 'in the perfect world' should we achieve our fundraising goal. However, if we miss the mark, we ALSO need to outline the use of funds for alternative equipment that may not achieve what we had hoped for, but will certainly help this family achieve a better quality of life. For them to still use the funds raised (if the expressed goal hasn’t been met), then we need to outline how else they will use the funds, and the M.U.C.H. Foundation will ensure that proper use of funds is demonstrated. So that means YOU can feel confident that any donation you provide will be put to good use. All non-profit processing fees will be accounted for in the raise.
I’m an optimist and believe in the benevolence of others…who are equally blessed with general good health and the ability to afford a cup of Starbucks coffee. Or better, to forego one for the benefit of the Rogers family.
Here is a list of how the funds will be used, both if we achieve our fundraising goal or otherwise:
NEW Converted Vans (Options):
• 2019 Dodge Caravan Manual Rear Entry $43,429 (van- $29,429, conversion- $14,000)
• 2019 Dodge Caravan Power Rear Entry $48,979 (van- $29,429, conversion - $19,550)
• 2019 Toyota Sienna Manual Rear Entry $53,575 (van- $34,990, conversion - $18,585)
• 2019 Toyota Sienna Power Rear Entry $56,425 (van - $34,990, conversion - $21,435)
• 2018 Mercedes Benz Rear Entry $58,368
USED Converted Vans (Options):
• 2016 Mercedes Benz Metris Rear Entry $43,900
• 2017 Mercedes Benz Metris Rear Entry $48,900
• 2017 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $34,900
• 2016 Dodge Caravan Rear Entry $29,900
• 2016 Chrysler Town & Country Rear Entry $28,990
• 2014 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $31,700
• 2015 Toyota Sienna Rear Entry $33,990
• 2015 Dodge Caravan Rear Entry $29,500
NEW Not Yet Converted Vans (Options):
• 2019 Dodge Caravan SE $25,232 - $26,419
• 2019 Honda Odyssey LX $28,580 - $30,585
• 2018 Mercedes Benz Metris $34,800 - $38,430
• 2019 Toyota Sienna L $27,979 - $31,118
USED Not Yet Converted Vans (Options):
• 2017 Dodge Caravan SE $22,725 - $24,798
• 2018 Dodge Caravan SE $24,309 - $26,108
• 2017 Honda Odyssey LX $26,707 - $29,020
• 2018 Honda Odyssey LX $27,699 - $29,596
• 2016 Mercedes Benz Metris $17,800 - $19,998
• 2017 Mercedes Benz Metris $28,900 - $30,030
• 2017 Toyota Sienna L $25,629 - $27,745
• 2018 Toyota Sienna L $27,622 - $29,280
Van Conversion Prices: $10,000 - $21,000+
"OTHER" things the Rogers family can use if the goal is not reached:
• A van that is not yet converted, but can be in the future (prices range).
• Comfy Lift Bed (A special bed ideal for people with special needs. We've been through so many mattresses for Bentley, and still haven't found one that fits his needs. He wakes up often every night, and this bed would benefit him so much with his disability and his sleep apnea.)
mattress- $3,399
cover- $900
frame- $600
backlift- $300
TOTAL- $5,199
• Freeloader Child Carrier (A child carrier for special needs children. Sometimes it isn't the easiest thing to get a wheelchair to certain places. Bentley is also getting a bit too big for me to just up and carry. This child carrier would help me be able to carry him with the added support. So say we go to the parks, hiking, sporting events, I could put him in this and carry him there without having to worry about his wheelchair. I mean have you ever tried pushing a wheelchair up a hiking trail or up and down sets of stairs?)
$299.00 + shipping
• Firefly Upsee Harness (An upright mobility device designed for kids with disabilities. What Bentley wants more than anything is to be able to walk and run around, chasing his sisters in the yard. This harness would allow Bentley to be able to have the sensation of walking and running around to play with his sisters and friends. We have always wanted one of these for him before he got too big for one, but unfortunately insurance will not pay for it because it is not medically necessary, and funds have never been there for us to be able to purchase one on our own.)
$535.00
• Rifton Adaptive Tricycle (A special needs bike. Bentley can't ride a regular bike, like other kids his age. He loves riding this bike at therapy every week. Unfortunately, insurance won't pay for this either, as they've deemed it medically unnecessary.)
• Part-time at home nurse care (Insurance will not provide a part time nurse for Bentley because my doctor hasn't diagnosed me (Linda) with being medically unfit to care for him, also because he doesn't have any tubes on him. I am only 5'2, less than 120 lbs., Bentley is already 4 ft. tall and over 40 lbs. That might not seem very big or heavy, but he is all dead weight. Due to his physical disability, he can't help hold himself up when I lift on him to transfer him from point A to point B. I have my own back muscle and nerve problems going on, that I try to manage, so this gets very challenging for me at times, and being able to get help from a part-time nurse every now and then, would be beyond a helpful blessing for me. I wouldn't want one around all the time, but I would love to be able to hire one when it's one of those challenging, painful days.
The average cost for an at home nurse is $200+
Organizer
Todd Pitner
Organizer
Tampa, FL
Makers United For Childrens Hope Foundation Inc (M.U.C.H. Foundation)
Beneficiary