Improve the Odds

Sense of humor, articulate, capable, independent, great singer, defies the odds….these are big accomplishments for anyone let alone someone confined to a wheelchair, spastic with Cerebral Palsy from birth, and survivor of cancer! Yet all this describes my brother, Ed Bartz, whose drive and courage has allowed him to succeed - against the odds!  Born in 1962, my parents were told he would never talk, never go to school, and may not live a very long life………….boy were they ever wrong!  Ed has defied the odds, every one of them.  He spent many years at the Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital in Haverstraw, NY. before moving back to the Hudson Valley and attending high school and eventually living independently in Albany, NY. Ed has earned a lifetime achievement award from United Cerebral Palsy.  Ed is a member of Toastmasters International is an Ulster County Community College graduate and attended the College of St. Rose, Albany, NY.  Ed is, and has been, an employee at the Center for Disability Services for many years.  This is a non-profit agency servicing over 50,000 individuals with disabilities throughout the Capital District.  He is the editor for capAbility, an online magazine produced by the Center.  Ed has traveled across the country several times, interviews and hires his own staff, manages his own finances, and lives independently.  This is where your help comes in…. Ed has gotten State approval to obtain his own transportation.  If he purchases a van, the State will finance the adaptation to accommodate his motorized wheelchair, etc.  This is where your help comes in…. The cost of the vehicle is about $28,000 plus taxes, etc. so our goal is to raise the down payment... $5,000.00.  Ed has always been my inspiration to move forward despite any obstacles and helps me to keep things in perspective.  Let us work together to help and support one of the finest men I know, Edward P. Bartz.