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Dear DSC Community,
Hello, my name is Debbie Sahlin and I am the founder of the Lollipop Kids Foundation. In April 1995, my 11-month old son, Ryan, suffered a traumatic brain injury. I started The Lollipop Kids Foundation to offer support to families who have children with disabilities.
When I met some folks from Downtown Sailing Center in 2010, I quickly became intrigued about the possibility of my son, Ryan, sailing. I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first. On our trip to the center, we were greeted with warmth and kindness. My nervousness quickly subsided. Not only did Ryan love the experience but the therapeutic benefits for him were enormous!
In July 2010, twenty-five children participated in our first sailing event. Watching the participants experience the freedom of sailing truly touched my heart. This program accomplished the core mission of the Lollipop Kids in less than three hours - to spread hope to families raising children with disabilities.
For the summer of 2011 we received a grant for 150 children with disabilities to sail in a safe, accessible environment. The positive feedback I received from participant's parents was overwhelming. One mom summed up the experience by saying- "Thank you for the best day of Nathaniel's life".
Unfortunately, our funding for summer 2012 did not come through. We already have families requesting information, signing up and wanting their children to experience the joy of accessible sailing. Over the past few days you have raised a great amount of money. Thank you! Let's raise some more before the week is over. Share our story with your friends, family and loved ones. We would love to have 150 participants return to the DSC. Thank you again for everything your organization does for the community. Sincerely, Debbie Sahlin Donate Now! |
