An Accessible Van for CALEB
Donation protected
Oh how time flies.
The last time that we asked for your help, it was to get Caleb a new seating system that fit him.... because kids grow (incessantly apparently, and they don't stop no matter how many times we beg for time slow down a little bit).
With this growth and need of another new (bigger & much heavier) wheelchair, the time has come for us to get a wheelchair accessible van. And we need your help...
We are in the process of applying for funding for it, however there is no guarantee that our funding requests will be approved. Many of the charities and organizations that we are applying for funding from have themselves had a really tough year thanks to Covid-19 throwing wrenches in their regular fundraising abilities.
So we are here, asking for your help.
Caleb is officially too tall to sit safely or comfortably in the 5 point car seat that he has been in for the past 7 years. He is also too big for his current wheelchair. Both are causing him pain. His new wheelchair is on the way, however with that comes another challenge. His current chair weighs 70lbs.... the bigger one will weigh more. The time has come for us to invest in a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
To adapt a vehicle, there are many hoops to jump through, one of which is it needs to be a brand new vehicle. The powers that be won't allow retrofitting an older vehicle. We are ok with this as we would like our accessible van to last us as long as possible. But once we have the new van, it's going to cost $38,000 to have it converted into a wheelchair accessible van. Another catch is that we need it to be a side entry van as opposed to a rear entry van, which means we need to get a new van ASAP and it needs to be the 2020 model because Toyota decided that all of their 2021 Sienna's will be Hybrids (which while great for our environment, means that they cannot be retrofitted to be manual, side access wheelchair accessible. They can be fitted for electric access, but that is even more expensive, and doesn't work in Winterpeg climates).
A few other reasons that we need to invest in this vehicle for our family is that Caleb has made it quite clear to us that he is uncomfortable in his car seat and it causes him pain, which in turn affects his behaviour and mood (as it would any of us). He stiffens up when we try to get him into his car seat because he knows the pain that comes along with it and this puts us at risk of dropping him or falling with him in our arms, as he is no longer little AND he's quite strong.
It is also very challenging for us to get his current wheelchair in and out of our van. We have thrown necks & backs out, we have dropped it on our feet & toes, and we are at risk of falling ourselves when lifting it in and out of the van, especially in bad weather. And his bigger wheelchair will only pose more risk as it will be even heavier than his current one.
If you've stayed with me this far, THANK YOU. We know that this is a big ask, as we know the past year has been very hard on many of us. If you have the means to make a donation, our family is so very very grateful. If you currently don't have the means we would be equally as grateful if you would be willing to share this. Every little bit will help us towards our goal of making life for Caleb more comfortable and all around safer for our whole family.
If, by some miracle we manage to raise the full amount of the conversion cost for our new van AND we get approved for funding (the funding we could possibly get, if we get approval for every bit, maxes out at $18,000, meaning that regardless we will be responsible for $20,000 + the cost of the new van), then the money that we raise over and above, will go into Caleb's savings account that helps to pay for his therapies, as well as other accessibility equipment that is not funded.
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for reading this far. Thank you for any donation you are able to make, and thank you for sharing our journey. We appreciate all the help you've given our little family.
Sincerely,
The M's
The last time that we asked for your help, it was to get Caleb a new seating system that fit him.... because kids grow (incessantly apparently, and they don't stop no matter how many times we beg for time slow down a little bit).
With this growth and need of another new (bigger & much heavier) wheelchair, the time has come for us to get a wheelchair accessible van. And we need your help...
We are in the process of applying for funding for it, however there is no guarantee that our funding requests will be approved. Many of the charities and organizations that we are applying for funding from have themselves had a really tough year thanks to Covid-19 throwing wrenches in their regular fundraising abilities.
So we are here, asking for your help.
Caleb is officially too tall to sit safely or comfortably in the 5 point car seat that he has been in for the past 7 years. He is also too big for his current wheelchair. Both are causing him pain. His new wheelchair is on the way, however with that comes another challenge. His current chair weighs 70lbs.... the bigger one will weigh more. The time has come for us to invest in a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
To adapt a vehicle, there are many hoops to jump through, one of which is it needs to be a brand new vehicle. The powers that be won't allow retrofitting an older vehicle. We are ok with this as we would like our accessible van to last us as long as possible. But once we have the new van, it's going to cost $38,000 to have it converted into a wheelchair accessible van. Another catch is that we need it to be a side entry van as opposed to a rear entry van, which means we need to get a new van ASAP and it needs to be the 2020 model because Toyota decided that all of their 2021 Sienna's will be Hybrids (which while great for our environment, means that they cannot be retrofitted to be manual, side access wheelchair accessible. They can be fitted for electric access, but that is even more expensive, and doesn't work in Winterpeg climates).
A few other reasons that we need to invest in this vehicle for our family is that Caleb has made it quite clear to us that he is uncomfortable in his car seat and it causes him pain, which in turn affects his behaviour and mood (as it would any of us). He stiffens up when we try to get him into his car seat because he knows the pain that comes along with it and this puts us at risk of dropping him or falling with him in our arms, as he is no longer little AND he's quite strong.
It is also very challenging for us to get his current wheelchair in and out of our van. We have thrown necks & backs out, we have dropped it on our feet & toes, and we are at risk of falling ourselves when lifting it in and out of the van, especially in bad weather. And his bigger wheelchair will only pose more risk as it will be even heavier than his current one.
If you've stayed with me this far, THANK YOU. We know that this is a big ask, as we know the past year has been very hard on many of us. If you have the means to make a donation, our family is so very very grateful. If you currently don't have the means we would be equally as grateful if you would be willing to share this. Every little bit will help us towards our goal of making life for Caleb more comfortable and all around safer for our whole family.
If, by some miracle we manage to raise the full amount of the conversion cost for our new van AND we get approved for funding (the funding we could possibly get, if we get approval for every bit, maxes out at $18,000, meaning that regardless we will be responsible for $20,000 + the cost of the new van), then the money that we raise over and above, will go into Caleb's savings account that helps to pay for his therapies, as well as other accessibility equipment that is not funded.
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for reading this far. Thank you for any donation you are able to make, and thank you for sharing our journey. We appreciate all the help you've given our little family.
Sincerely,
The M's
Co-organizers (4)
Alicia Thwaites
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB
Cindy Renee
Beneficiary
Theresa Jobse
Co-organizer
Alfred Jobse
Co-organizer
Sylvia McKague
Co-organizer