WVLT 8, a news station based in Knoxville, TN, joined the Hall Family during the delivery and celebration of their new safe and accessible vehicle. The Hall Family are participants in Jett Foundation’s 2023 Accessible Vehicle Fund program.
When accepted into the Accessible Vehicle Fund branch of the Jett Giving Fund, families aim to raise half the funds needed or more for their equipment. Once families reach their goal, Jett Foundation steps in to purchase the item they need and coordinate delivery.
Read the full article and view video coverage on WVLT here.
Originally published by WVLT8.
SPEEDWELL, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Hall family has four members, Mindy, Chad and their sons, Wyatt (14) and Barrett (6). Wyatt and Barrett have both been living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) which is a progressive neuromuscular disorder that causes loss of motor, pulmonary, and cardiac function.
The Jett Foundation began in 2001 with the goal of establishing a foundation that is dedicated to funding DMD research and ultimately aims to cure the deadly disease.
For the Hall family, transporting two boys both living with DMD has proved to be a challenge. Both Wyatt and Barrett are in motorized wheelchairs that do not easily fit in the back of normal vehicles.
For the Hall family’s story: Hall Family: Fundraising for an accessible van
“An accessible van is a need, its not a want. So, to be able to get to medical appointments, to be able to get to the grocery store, to be able to go to the movies, to be able to really go anywhere, especially in a power wheelchair, you have to an accessible vehicle to do it in,” said Alexa Tinsley, Director of Programs with the Jett Foundation. “These vehicles hold a lot of weight and these chairs are very heavy.”
The Jett Foundation has different ways to volunteer and donate to families who live with DMD. The Hall family heard about the Jett Foundation through another family that received a accessible van.
“I actually believe Mindy found our program through another one of our families who was in the media,” said Tinsley. “If there’s anybody in need of any of that please send them our way.”
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