Wheels for Traeh!

https://waow.com/2020/02/09/a-local-hockey-team-raising-money-to-help-a-former-teammates-family/ 

Thank you Central Starz U10!!!



Pistol’s mom Reggie Cowden with a donation jar for Wheels for Traeh


"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"
Wayne Gretzky (Michael Scott for some)

The Back Story:


I am Sonia Dissanayake, currently a freshman at Marshfield High, and  I play ice hockey for The Sisterhood of Wisconsin Valley Union: a high school co-op made up of several Central Wisconsin high schools, and 4 cities, including Marshfield. My friend Austin Hunter and I started a Community Research Project for English which stars the story of Traeh Paulin (12 years of age and wheelchair bound for life), whom I know through her sister, Nevaeh Paulin, a hockey player who will be joining us in the Sisterhood next year. Nevaeh is a freshman at Lincoln High in Wisconsin Rapids.

”Sometimes you can’t pay it back, so you just have to pay it forward.”
Randy Pausch

With this missive, I hope to speak to your inner Good Samaritan, so that together, we can harness the power of crowdfunding and give Traeh the life changing gift of a Wheelchair accessible van, through small donations, from the kindness of strangers like you Paying It Forward. 

"The unique value of crowdfunding is not money, it's community"
 Ethan Mollick, Professor at Wharton University


The Cause

It is time for you to meet the heroine of our story: 


This is Traeh Paulin. She is 12 years old.

She was born with two holes in her heart. TRAEH is HEART spelt backwards. Traeh’s mom, Rhonda, thinks it’s the perfect name for her given that Traeh is the owner of a heart that healed itself!

Traeh has Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome and other medical issues (that I don’t have the knowledge to explain to you about) that severely limit her mobility and make almost all daily activities of life (that you and I take for granted) challenging if not impossible. For instance, she has always been wheelchair bound and she will be wearing diapers all her life. Despite these challenges, each day Traeh faces life with great love for her family and a smile on her face, thereby proving to the world the appropriateness of her name. 


This is Traeh’s beloved family. Traeh’s mom, Rhonda is an extremely hardworking, and tremendously busy single mom. Traeh’s 18 year old brother Harley is always there for Traeh and helps their mom take care of Traeh. And last but not least, Nevaeh, her older sister, the hockey player with the Super Woman slap shot. 

This is a picture of Traeh and her family taken a few years ago. 


When Traeh was younger (not to mention her mom as well) lifting her on and off a vehicle to go places used to be a surmountable challenge. Now that Traeh is 12, and still growing, it takes a herculean effort from her mother to accomplish this task (Rhonda’s back isn’t what it used to be).  

This is Traeh getting into their 2005 Chevy Trailblazer.

"Each winter it becomes more unsafe to carry my Traeh in and out of the vehicle with the ice and snow"
 Rhonda, Traeh's mom


Right now Traeh is a full time student at Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School. Two days a week Rhonda pulls Traeh out of school to take her to University of Wisconsin Stevens Point for speech therapy. Even though it is physically taxing for her, Rhonda makes sure Traeh goes to speech therapy as she has made remarkable strides there. Still, Rhonda wonders how long she will physically be able to keep on doing this without a wheelchair accessible vehicle…

This is Traeh at UWSP having speech therapy.

In a few years Traeh will age out of the public school system and will no longer have the luxury of a wheelchair accessible school bus and the joy of going to school and being out and about. Having a wheel chair accessible van would increase Traeh’s quality of life by leaps and bounds, and  of course it will make getting Traeh in and out of the vehicle safer for Traeh and her mom.  I hope with all my heart that you and I will be able to help achieve their dream of owning a wheelchair accessible van!!!


The Van

If Rhonda is able to own a used minivan less than 5 years old with less than 50,000 miles, the government (the county) will pay for a  conversion and make the van wheelchair accessible for Traeh Paulin.  At present  Rhonda drives a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer (of course that does not meet the requirements for a free conversion). 

Mr. Matt Berrier, the owner of Associated Sales and Leasing (ASL), has kindly offered to sell a van (with the required government specifications for wheelchair conversion) at cost, also foregoing applicable buyers fees. Fortunately for Traeh, ASL undertakes wheelchair conversions and Mr. Berrier is very knowledgeable on the subject. 

Thank you Mr. Berrier, you are our hero!!!


The Target


Raise $20,000 

Mr. Matt Berrier has given us a target goal of $20,000 after careful consideration and research. 

The Game plan 

I plan on using this GoFundMe page (that my school friend Austin Hunter and I initially set up for a school project), and personally, and individually, reach out to people for donations through email further explaining our  cause and sharing the GoFundMe with them for donations. I plan to write to my teachers, coaches and other mentors for guidance and help. In fact, my friend Austin and I did a presentation in our English class about this fundraiser! Also Coach Nelson Spindler of Marshfield Blades was helpful in connecting us with the generosity of ASL. Thank you Coach Nellie!

I promise you that every penny you donate   will go towards the van (please do not leave a tip even though the page will ask!!!). I will keep each and everyone of you who donate updated on our progress. I hope the day that I post a video of Traeh Paulin in her new wheelchair accessible van is not too far away!!! 

You and I can make it happen. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!





"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own."
  Abraham Lincoln