A couple of Zoe recommended charities

Hey all,

I know there are a gazillion worthy charities out there, but I thought I'd let you know of a couple of "Zoe approved" charities to add to the list-

Easter Seals- Zoe gets money ever year from Easter Seals for both diaper costs ($400 a year) and equipment costs ($3000 a year). They paid for her bath seat and will (once we apply for it) assist with costs for a ramp/stair lift (this summer) and van modifications (next year maybe?) They also provide for Zoe to go to camp once she is six and until she is eighteen. This summer we are all going to family camp, which we are looking forward to. I used to work at an Easter Seals camp in Alberta (Camp Horizon) so it will be both weird and fun to go to one with Zoe. Genevieve has already been to the mom's retreat last summer, which was a great break for her. I was a little bit jealous. Only a little bit though :)

Easter Seals is having their Ontario telethon today, so if you feel so inclined please donate at http://www.easterseals.org/

According to Easter Seals a family who has a child with a physical disability faces $40 000 in medical expenses and loss of income a year. That certainly holds true for us- in Zoe's short four years we have had over $65 000 in uncovered medical costs, not including loss of income. So every little bit we can get from Easter Seals helps- the same is true for countless other families with kids who have disabilities.

March of Dimes- provides $15 000 in a once off contribution for van modifications/ramp for house access, which will be very handy when we get around to looking at those things. These are crazily expensive modifications, so it is great the March of Dimes recognizes this and helps out.

There are several more charities aimed at assisting the families of special needs kids to cope with expenses, but a lot of them are income based and do not take into account the amount spent on medical expenses (which for us is considerable). So if you are looking at donating this year and want to keep Zoe in mind these two are good ones to consider. And at some point, Zoe may just be having her own completely non tax deductible "ramp" fundraiser coming up at some point too, so keep that in mind : )