November 2014
www.equipforchildren.org
Ph: 301-540-8805
Making Connections!
Making an equipment connection takes time. There are
countless hours of behind-the-scenes logistics, donations
come and go, and people wait. But some matches are made
in a moment. Call it karma, chance -- or maybe even a miracle.
Ricky was one such ECFC child. Born with spina bifida, he
found a supportive home with the McFarland family
surrounded by loving parents and five siblings. “We were
told that he would most likely not be able to move his legs,
but with dedication, hard work, motivation and love he is
moving his legs, using his braces, and even …therapeutic
horseback riding to gain core strength,” his mother Sherry
said.
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Shopping
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The now-preschooler had been improving with therapy when his therapist suggested a gait
trainer to continue his progress. But when Sherry and her husband, Bill, contacted ECFC to
find one, they had no luck. All the trainers in stock were already spoken for at the October
2014 Donation Day. Still, they were eager to come anyway to make a donation of their
own. They didn’t make it past the parking lot before they got the good news – a gait trainer
had just been donated the night before, and ECFC staff hoped it would fit. It did.
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“It was nothing short of a miracle,” his mother said. Ricky “test drove” his new trainer around
the ECFC facility with a bright smile on his face. The 5-year-old later found the joys of
moving freely around his house, exploring the kitchen, and chasing after his siblings. “When
Ricky got this freedom, it was like having a 2-year old toddler … making up for lost time –
getting into everything like cabinets, pulling out pots and pans, touching those things
he could only see from afar, but now, in fingers reach. We love it!” Sherry said.
The Gift That
Always Fits
“Bill and I really appreciate what ECFC is doing for families that need the expensive
equipment for our children to make life a little easier and be the norm,” she added.
-Susan Heavey
Don’t know what to give this
holiday season? Give a gift
that keeps giving and always
fits; a tax- deductible
donation to ECFC. We will
email or mail a personal note
of appreciation to thank your
recipient for the donation in
their honor.
Photo Contest
Take a photo of your child using equipment from ECFC and describe in around 100 words how the equipment
has impacted your child and family’s life. Submit these to [email protected] by December
15th to win a gift donated by Child’s Play in Rockville Congressional Plaza. By participating, the
parent(s)/guardian(s) /caretaker(s) of the child give ECFC permission to use the picture and story on its
website, social media, electronic and printed materials.
We connect, we share, we reuse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Help ECFC serve even more children by supporting us with your financial donation:
$20
$50
$100
$ 250
Other
Please make your check payable to ‘Equipment Connections for Children’ and mail to:
12909 Barleycorn Terrace, Germantown, MD 20874, or make a donation online by visiting:
http://www.equipforchildren.org/how-to-help.html Thank you! Federal Tax ID # 27-1062106