Kids' disabilities costly for families

It's a little-known fact that it costs families an additional $10,000 to $40,000 a year to raise a child with a physical disability.

That's because they require specialized equipment and services, said Cathy Macey, volunteer telethon chair with Easter Seals in Northern Ontario. A wheelchair alone can cost between $6,000 and $20,000, she said.

To help defray some of these costs, the Easter Seals pays for communication and mobility devices for children with physical disabilities, as well as provides them with camping and recreational experiences.

The 30th annual Easter Seals Telethon, which took place March 24 at the eDome, went a long way to meeting the needs of these children.

The event, broadcast by Eastlink TV, raised about $98,000. Added together with money raised at various other Easter Seals events, the organization has raised roughly $462,000 in Northern Ontario in the past year.

The stars of the telethon, held at Cambrian College's eDome, were local Easter Seals ambassadors Kyle Leblanc and Cassandra Degn, as well as former ambassador Amy Adair.

Macey said the trio were excited to be on television.

“They were naturals in front of the camera,” she said. “I think they had a lot of fun.”

Having the kids supported by Easter Seals there is “really important,” as it puts a face on the organization, Macey said. “People can see where the money goes, and hear about their stories.”

She said she wants to thank all those who appeared on the telethon to answer telephones and collect pledges.

One of the telethon's highlights is the VIP Challenge, where well-known community members face off to see who can collect the most pledges in an hour by calling their contacts and asking for donations.

Levert Personnel Resources owner Richard Levert managed to collect pledges for about $2,000 during his first hour on the program, and then asked to stay on another hour, during which time he raised an additional $2,000.

Also appearing on the VIP Challenge were people such as Greater Sudbury Police Deputy Chief Al Lekun, Cinefest executive director Tammy Frick and past Conservative candidates Paula Peroni and Fred Slade.

“A great big thank you goes out to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to help make the telethon a success,” said Easter Seals Northern Ontario development manager Nicole Blais, in a press release.

“The money raised during Sunday's telethon will help more than 500 Easter Seals kids in the north by providing them with communication devices and mobility equipment, sending kids to summer camp, and providing them with recreational choices.”

For more information about Easter Seals, phone 705-566-8858.