PEOPLE WE'VE HELPED
2002 Wheelchair Recipients Steve Ferguson, Dan Thue and Vivian Riveria
Steve Ferguson
Dan Thue
Vivian Riveria
2002 Wheelchair Recipient Steve Ferguson
Can you imagine sitting 18 hours a day in a chair that is uncomfortable? That's exactly what Steve Ferguson endured for 10 years!
Because of Steve's cerebral palsy, he uses a wheelchair. "My old chair never really fit me properly from the get-go because of my spasticity," Steve says. But it had to do—until the motor on the chair died. Bummer. All dressed up and plenty of places to go—but no wheels.
Not to worry. Alternatives in Motion spearheaded a unique fundraiser—the Quarter Roll. Schools, businesses and organizations participated to raise money enough to buy Steve a brand-new Permobil wheelchair—specially fitted for him! And it came with powered leg rests, which makes the chair a lot more comfy.
But comfort wasn't the only benefit. It seems the chair gave Steve a real lift! "For the first time in my life I'm able to see what I'm cooking on the stove. It's great to see what's in the frying pan!" he says.
"I could not have afforded this chair on my own. Thanks to Alternatives in Motion and the Quarter Roll fundraiser, I'm able to be mobile and get where I need to go. It's really great! A huge thank you to all the schools and businesses whose generous donations helped buy my new wheelchair!"
Wow! Steve can now get himself to the grocery store in a reliable chair, buy the eggs and actually watch them fry in the pan.
2002 Wheelchair Recipient Dan Thue
While Dan may or may not be a model patient, he is a model citizen. Thanks to his new mobility, this Grand Valley State University graduate has truly made a difference in his community.
On November 4, 2004 Dan was awarded with the Tina Hartley Outstanding Participant Award from Goodwill Industries. The Tina Hartley award honors the former Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids president, who died in a car accident last August.
Award recipients must demonstrate a strong dedication and effort to carry out the mission of Goodwill, to help people with disabilities overcome barriers to employment. Great job Dan and congratulations on your accomplishments!
1996/2002 Wheelchair Recipient Vivian Riveria
What would it be like to go from a shoelace view of life to a "Hey! I can see out the window" perspective? That's what two-year old Vivian Riveria discovered when she went from crawling to pushing herself in her very own custom-fitted wheelchair.
Born in Guatemala with spina bifida, Vivian traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan compliments of Healing the Children of Michigan. In Michigan, she received several surgeries to close her exposed spinal column. Her host family wanted to buy Vivian a wheelchair, but couldn't afford the costly piece of equipment.
They had heard about Alternatives in Motion, and submitted an application on Vivian's behalf. Unbelievably, within two weeks of their request, Vivian had her chair.
But the story doesn't end there.
Six years later, little Vivian had grown! In fact, she had grown out of her old wheelchair. Johnnie Tuitel said, "Alternatives in Motion has a policy that if we provide a person a chair, and the person outgrows the chair or the chair breaks down, we'll purchase another one. We feel responsible for the mobility needs of the people we help."
And so, when it was time to upgrade Vivian's chair, she flew back to Grand Rapids. Through the generosity of several organizations, she returned to Guatemala with new mobility and independence.
And that's the perspective from which she now sees life.