Pires Twins Mobility Fund

Raising money for wheelchairs vans I am writing this letter pertaining to getting a wheelchair accessible van for me and my twin sister. We were both born with cerebral palsy. We can walk but not for  long distances. Therefore  the easiest way for us to get  around is with our power wheelchairs.  We ask of this help for the fact that we are currently in our senior year at Bridgewater State University and searching for jobs is more frequent now that we are graduating and need to look for jobs after graduation. One challenge we are finding is that to get a job we need reliable transportation (car) and to get a car we need a job. It's hard to get one without the other. Transportation Struggles Trying to find transportation outside of campus is hard because with public transportation, although effective are not always running on time. That can cause us to be extremely early or late for any appointment or interview.  There's been moments that we would have to wait for another bus for the fact that the bus was either too full to fit our chairs or the lift did not work.  • Recently  I had to wait 30 minutes for the next train to Brockton from Quincy Center because of my internship plans changed last minute. Although that was not the problem the weather was, and it did not help. We cannot retain our body heat because we remain in a resting state, no motion to be able to keep our bodies warm so we get colder quicker and the wind affects us a lot more than someone moving in place to keep warm. If you could support  donating and sharing, my sister and I will not have to face the obstacles of trying to find transportation. We will also not have to deal with the extreme weather just to do something as easy as getting to and from different towns. Not having a Wheelchair Van We like getting involved on and off of campus.  When our friends ask us to go out, we feel bad when they drop their original plans to try to accommodate us, because our powerchairs cannot fit in their cars. Although we do have regular chairs we usually have to ask for friends to push us along to be able to keep up with the group. Asking for this favor feels awkward for the fact that although we know our friends are more than willing to help to include us, we do not want them to have to be obligated to change plans for us to join. Missed Opportunity A few months ago there was a contest for a night out to the movies and the first thirty people that registered would go to the movies for free. My sister and I were one of those first thirty but found out we could not go because they could not access a handicapped accessible vehicle on such short notice.  We tried to find other transportation, but because it was a night trip and short notice finding a ride was impossible. How you can Help We both have our licenses and would find it helpful if you could help us in obtaining a wheelchair Van for certain occasions. Being able to have available options and a secure way of transportation would be extremely helpful, and reduce the stress of planning a ride in advance to have it only getting cancelled and us scrambling last moment to either reschedule, or cancel the plans we have made. Thank you for listening. Any donation  or share will be appreciated. Sincerely Samara and Tamara.