OLDS — Hope 4 MVC Kids Society raised $47,890 during its 10th anniversary fundraiser, held Nov. 25 at the Willow Lane Barn east of Olds.
But that’s not all.
Founder Lisa Nicholson and family applications director Katie Dunn announced a brand new program which will roll out early next year.
It will provide money to applicants from a pool of $35,000 “until the money runs out,” they said.
Hope 4 MVC Kids helps families in Mountain View County and the urban municipalities within its geographical boundaries cope with medical and related expenses for children needing medical care.
Examples include parking, meals, fuel, utilities, groceries, accommodation, and sibling care.
Support is also provided to obtain adaptive equipment for home or school as well as help with counselling, medical health care, alternative therapies and education.
According to an interim policy for the new program, money allocated will be used to help families deal the cost of the following: psychoeducational assessments; psychologist assessments; and IQ assessments.
A maximum of $3,000 can be provided towards assessments per application, including GST.
However, no applications will be accepted until Jan. 14, 2024.
Starting on that date, applications received and time stamped will be processed in the order they are received, once supporting documentation is received.
“The cost of these assessments (is) usually a barrier for families, as many private health plans do not assist with the cost of these.
“There are a few places where you can get these covered through AHS (Alberta Health Services) but the wait times can often be extremely long. Schools also have limited funds for assessments.”
Nicholson said children with certain medical needs have to obtain those assessments in order to get the assistance they need.
“Therefore, this program will help bridge that gap.”
Nicholson said if the $35,000 runs out, the board will at that time decide if more money can be allocated for it.
For further details, families can contact Dunn via [email protected].
Nicholson was extremely pleased not only to announce the new program but also by the amount of money raised during the gala.
“The money means so much to our organization,” she wrote. “The funds raised will go to funding our six current programs."
Nicholson noted the money for the new program came from funds raised previously.
However, Nicholson said the money raised during the gala might enable the board to increase the amount earmarked for the new program if a need for that is identified.
“The amount raised also means we can step off the gas a little from fundraising for a bit and concentrate our efforts more as a board to spread the word of how we help families and reach those children and families that need us,” Nicholson wrote.
Also during the gala, Nicholson and Dunn told the crowd that during the 10 years of the society’s existence, it had helped 111 children over 10 years via a total of $217,000 that had been raised.
One of Nicholson's daughters has a chronic medical condition that required lengthy hospitalizations, medical intervention and support.
Another daughter has non-verbal low functioning autism and global development delay.
Nicholson founded the Hope 4 MVC Kids Society with the help of a friend in November 2013 when her family couldn't obtain the financial assistance they needed to help her daughters and when she and they discovered there were many more families struggling in that way as well.
The pandemic was really hard on the organization.
“We paused applications for a total of 14 whole days while we asked the community to support us and boy, did they deliver,” Nicholson told the gala crowd.
“Speaking to this local community, speaking to our local doctors and speaking to our school community, we know that $35,000 is going to go fast,” she said.
“But we have committed to trying to get as much as we can and we may be able to open up more.
“So thank you again for this support. It really has meant an awful lot.”
At the beginning of the evening, Nicolson and her daughter Hope who was an inspiration for the startup of the organization, spoke to the crowd.
Nicholson outlined its history and what it does. She recalled the feeling she had going from where she was staying to visit Hope in the hospital.
“I remember my body feeling so tired, and heavy. And I felt overwhelming loneliness. The five-minute walk seemed like hours, and I never felt so lonely as at those moments. And I had family and friends supporting me.
"The sense of helplessness is something I never want anyone to experience. This feeling has stayed with me and is one of the driving forces to the organization. I never want any family within our community to feel that way."
Hope, now in university, praised her mother for helping to launch Hope 4 MVC Kids.
The gala included a meal, several stories of and from families that have been helped by the organization, a silent and live auction, and entertainment by singer Martin Kerr.
Nicholson also gave out awards to her fellow board members and they gave one to her.
When that happened, Kerr sang his signature song, You’re Amazing.
