8 Year Old Loves Park Resident Receives Adaptive Stroller

Friends and family of 8 year old Dominic Smith of Loves Park gathered this week at Meg's Daily Grind where Variety the Children's Charity of Illinois presented him with a new adaptive stroller made possible thanks to funds raised by Meg's patrons. Dominic has Autism and has quickly outgrown his old stroller that no longer supported his current height and weight, but adaptive strollers can cost over $1000 and are not covered by insurance, making it a difficult item for families to replace. "Everyone who knows Dominic knows how much he loves his walks but being 8 years old and over 60 lbs he's now outgrown every stroller that you can buy at Toys R Us," explains Dominic's Mom, Lindsay Correll. "The stroller for us means we can take him to the zoo, the park and on outings that are crowded where he might become over-stimulated & bolt off or just shut down and refuse to move. This is such an incredible blessing for our family as we are able to do so many more things now and get even just a bit more normality to our lives. So thankful to Meg's, Variety and our community for making this possible."

Owner of Meg's Daily Grind, Jodi Erickson was on hand for the presentation. "So many of our customers are here every day and are like family," said Erickson, "we are so proud to have been part of this effort to help Dominic get around more easily."

Learn more about Kids on the Go and other programs for Illinois children with disabilities at www.varietyofillinois.org.