wheels for henry

The day before yesterday an email landed in my inbox and I wanted to share it with you now. It is really important to me ... It was a request to participate in an online fundraiser for a little boy named Henry who lives in Portland. His mom, Chloe Eudaly, is the owner of Reading Frenzy and Henry is an amazing kid who happens to use a wheelchair.

Taken from their blog: Chloe drives a 20-year-old Toyota Corolla and has to lift and transfer Henry and his chair in and out of the car, which is becoming more and more challenging as Henry grows. Their lack of adequate transportation is cutting down on what they're able to accomplish in a day -- errands, appointments, recreation and social opportunities -- and has kept them from traveling any distance for the past few years (Henry has too much equipment to take for trips in their compact car). Henry is rapidly outgrowing his current wheelchair and when he does the new one won't fit in their car, so time is of the essence! ... They're more than halfway to funding a used converted van ... and are now turning to family, friends and the broader community to help raise the rest.

As you can imagine, this strikes close to home for me. I sent a donation yesterday. It wasn't an awful lot, but it was an amount I felt I could easily afford to contribute and I know it all adds up. It's really easy to donate – just click here to be directed to Chloe and Henry's blog where you can make a contribution via PayPal. Every little bit will help. Please, please take the time to help make a huge change for this family. I was really happy to start up an email conversation with Chloe yesterday, and hope to continue to get to know her and Henry. I wish I had known her when we lived in Portland because, in her own words, it's so nice to meet peers who are in similar situations. Please pass the word, please give what you can, please make a difference.