A mother and son in need are $1,000 closer to their goal and a challenge has been issued to service organizations in the Oxford area.
On Sunday, the Oxford Public Library Friends (OPLF) donated $1,000 to Pam Strunk and her 8-year-old son Hunter for the purchase of a wheelchair lift.
‘I can’t think of a better way to spend $1,000,? said Friends President C.J. Carnacchio. ‘I urge other local groups to follow suit and contribute to the Strunks.?
Pam and Hunter, of Addison, were featured in last week’s Oxford Leader because of their need for a wheelchair lift.
Hunter was born with a rare brain disorder called ‘lissencephaly,? which has left him confined to a wheelchair, unable to communicate or even feed himself, and prone to seizures.
A divorced mother, Pam has been Hunter’s primary care-giver since birth, meaning she can only work part-time and therefore has a limited income.
‘Finding someone to help care for him and who’s not going to take my whole paycheck is hard,? she said.
The half-days Hunter spends at the Wing Lake Developmental Center in Bloomfield Hills allows Pam to work part-time with special needs children at Daniel Axford Elementary. The Oxford school district transports Hunter to and from his special school.
When he isn’t at the center, Hunter goes everywhere Pam goes.’Hunter likes to be involved with the outside world. I don’t want him to feel like a shut-in,? she said. ‘If I can’t find a sitter, we don’t sit home, we go.?
But it isn’t easy taking Hunter places. It involves a 115-pound woman lifting a 45-pound child strapped to a 25-pound orthosis (or brace) in and out of a vehicle.
‘I’ve had a couple of times where I almost fell trying to put him in,? she said. ‘If I end up throwing my back out from lifting him in and out of the van, who’s going to take care of my son??
That’s why obtaining a wheelchair lift has become a priority for Pam and a necessity for Hunter.
Bill Fox Chevrolet, of Rochester, is giving Pam a special price on a brand new Chevy Ventura van capable of supporting a wheelchair lift
But a wheelchair lift costs $16,200 and so far, Pam has raised $12,000, which includes $500 from American Legion Post 108, $500 from Oxford AMVETS Post 108 and the $1,000 donated by the Oxford Public Library Friends.
‘When my wife Connie and I read about Pam and Hunter’s plight in the Leader, it touched our hearts and moved us to take immediate action,? Carnacchio said. ‘We convened a special meeting of the Friends? board and voted to help this deserving mother and son. If you have the power, resources and will to help others in need, why wait even a second??
‘As president of the Friends, I am issuing a challenge to Oxford’s service groups ? Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Civitan, Women’s Club, FISH, Optimists ? to donate the remaining $4,200 so Pam and Hunter can get the wheelchair lift they so desperately need,? Carnacchio added.
‘If these groups contributed the rest of the money, we could lighten a devoted mother’s burden and help a child whose sole sustenance in this world is that woman’s unconditional love and constant support.?
‘Time and time again, Oxford has proven itself to be a generous and compassionate community that takes care of its own,? Carnacchio said. ‘I’m sure we will rise to this challenge.?
Donation checks for the wheelchair lift should be made payable to the manufacturer, the Madison Heights-based Mobility Works.