Care in Action Newsletter

MARCH OF DIMES CANADA NEWSLETTER
Thank you!
Andria Spindel, President and CEO
Every day, March of Dimes
Canada changes lives because
of your generous support.
Those we serve come to us
for rehabilitation, peer
support, employment services,
recreational opportunities—
the list is long and wide-ranging
— and we’re very proud of that.
Know that you, as a donor,
are a crucial part of MODC.
Your support is helping us
achieve our vision of a society
that includes and celebrates
Canadians of all abilities.
On behalf of our staff and the
people we serve, thank you.
1
2
3
4
feature
program
update
in the
dimelight
donor
story
Put Tracy Schmitt in front of an
audience, and watch her go.
Anything Is Possible When
You’re Unstoppable
Tracy Schmitt
She has a million tales to tell—there’s her
stint as captain of a 100-foot tall ship
in the Eastern Atlantic, the day she won
the Rick Hansen Award for her work as
an inclusive teacher in Africa, Jamaica,
and Mexico, her cameo in Robocop.
And that’s just for starters—Tracy has a dozen
more stories, each one demonstrating her
resilience and hardheaded determination,
each one more amazing than the last.
If she’s not off on an adventure, she’s
working as an advocate and consultant
for people living with disabilities.
It’s easy to forget that she’s four-way amputee.
Tracy may have been born without lower
limbs, but she’s always been Unstoppable.
On her first day of school, Tracy missed recess
because she was helping her new friends put
on their shoes. When she was 19, she helped
March of Dimes plan a trip, for four people
with physical disabilities to Nepal and went
along to climb mountains in the Himalayas
without her prosthetic legs. Tracy has even
won a bronze medal in downhill skiing!
Tracy strongly believes that activities
organized by March of Dimes are a key part
of her success. “Everybody needs to take risks
to grow,” Tracy told us in June. “Recreation is
that place where you figure it out so you can
move your life forward, where you can get out,
get your strength up, get social circles started,
so you can be independent in daily living.”
(continued on page 2)
2017

2 Care in Action | 2017
madi’s back!
We first met Madi two
years ago when she came
to Conductive Education®
(CE) class at March of Dimes
Canada. In that first class, she
did three things she’d never
done before, to her mother’s
joy. Madi isn’t going to let
cerebral palsy slow her down!
This past spring, Madi
travelled to St. Louis to get
life-changing surgery that’s
not available in Ontario.
The unique surgerical
technique helped Madi’s
legs go from tight and stiff
to flexible. Her doctor said
Madi will likely be able to
walk without her walker.
Last May after a month of
rehabilitation, Madi returned
to CE class in Toronto to show
off her new skills. At the end
of the session, Madi proudly
walked down a ramp for the
first time since her surgery.
Madi’s had an active summer
coming to CE Camp every
day and learning new
skills. We can’t wait to see
how Madi moves next!
Follow Madi’s moves on her
daily blog: madimoves.com
For further information on
Conductive Education, please
visit www.marchofdimes.ca/CE
(continued from page 1)
And Unstoppable Tracy is always ready
to move forward. Though she learned
to drive at 16, like most Canadians,
she couldn’t afford the $60,000 that
she was told it would cost to modify a
vehicle for her unique needs. But when
she was old enough, March of Dimes
Canada helped her through its Home and
vehicle Modification Program. “When
other people say no, March of Dimes
has always had a creative solution.”
At March of Dimes Canada, Tracy is one of
our own because Tracy not only benefited
from some of our programs, she also
worked with us. As an employee, Tracy was
Director of the Summer Holiday Program,
supervising 65 staff members. She was
also staff in our Recreation Department,
helping to plan accessible excursions and
3.8
millions
canadians
15 - 24
years old
4.4%
75 - over
years old
42.5%
“when other
people say no,
march of dimes
always haS a
creative solution”
-Tracy Schmitt
vacations. Clearly, Tracy has experienced
the impact of MODC from both sides,
and she’s made an impact of her own in
the process. Very few people have such a
personal understanding of how donated
funds change lives every day. Thanks to
your generosity, our programs helped Tracy
build a foundation for her inspiring work.
And Tracy is truly an inspiration.
“Doing these activities with March of
Dimes gave me skills and confidence to
go on into the employment world and
be a valuable contributor to society.
And now I’m giving back by working
with people with disabilities. Because
MODC had my back, now I’ve gone
on to have everyone else’s back.”
Congratulations, Tracy—we can’t
wait to see what’s next for you!
To learn more about Tracy Schmitt and her involvement with March of Dimes Canada, visit www.marchofdimes.ca/Tracy
DISABILITY
AFFECTS ALL AGES AND GENDERS
women
men
14.9% 12.5%
working age
canadians
1 in 10
reported having a
disability in 2012
percentage of Canadians with disabilities
increases with age
percentage of Canadians with disabilities
by gender
have a
disability

March of Dimes Canada Newsletter
3
In the dimelight:
L.I.F.E.’s Good
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is difficult
at the best of times, but the people MODC serve face unique
challenges as they mature. That’s why MODC offers the L.I.F.E.
Program—Learning Independence for Future Empowerment.
Designed for young adults between 19 and 30,
L.I.F.E. offers a wide variety of skill-building, personal
development, and rehabilitation activities including
transit training, music therapy, Conductive Education ® ,
budgeting, and social/recreational outings.
L.I.F.E. helps young Canadians living with disabilities to
become independent, self-confident, engaged adults, and
it’s all thanks to generous donors like you. L.I.F.E. is entirely
funded by donor dollars, so it wouldn’t exist without you.
L.I.F.E. at Variety Village
On behalf of all our L.I.F.E. participants, thank you
for making this crucial program possible.
echoage:
Let us give you a reason to celebrate!
Whether you’re hosting a retirement party, your grandchild’s
fourth birthday, or a ruby wedding anniversary, there’s a
better way to celebrate. With ECHOage, you can support
March of Dimes and our programs while you party.
Instead of each giving a small gift, party goers can make
a contribution which is shared between you and March
of Dimes. Your guests don’t have to run around trying to
find the perfect gift, you can pick out your own gift, and
we get more funding for our life-changing programs.
It’s quick and easy! Go to echoage.com, and
1. Choose your invitation
2. Pick March of Dimes Canada and your present
3. Invite your friends and family
4. Party!
Visit www.echoage.com for details.

Why Giving Matters
Catherine Bell was lucky—as an infant,
she survived polio. She grew up and
became a fashion designer who travelled
to Europe regularly. She’d walk 8 hours
a day, in high heels, without batting an
eyelash. She was always on the move.
Then, at age 34, things suddenly changed.
Catherine lost so much strength that,
by the time she was 36, she was often
losing her balance and falling, and she
couldn’t walk a block without getting
fatigued. She had to use a scooter at
work, and chair glides to navigate her
three-storey house. Business trips to
Europe were out of the question.
Then she found out about March of
Dimes Canada’s Post-Polio Registry.
Catherine sent in her name, and
received an information package.
She was shocked by its contents.
Catherine Bell
Armed with new knowledge from March
of Dimes, Catherine joined both a support
group and a group of polio survivors who
got together for gentle exercise at a local
hot water pool. Upon seeing firsthand
how much she benefited from March
of Dimes Canada’s Post-Polio Program,
Catherine immediately became a donor.
Her involvement in the Post-Polio
community led Catherine to a March
of Dimes Canada funded research trial
which impacted her life enormously, and
still does. “I received the latest research
on post-polio that I could pass on to
other members of the group, but which
also benefited me.” Becoming a donor
was Catherine’s way of giving back.
“This research helped me improve muscle
strength in my legs so much that the
scooter and chair glides are gone, and
today I continue to benefit from it,”
says Catherine. “If it hadn’t been for
the Post-Polio Program, I wouldn’t be
able to do what I do today at age 66—as
one of 12 certified image consultants
in Canada, I travel, conduct seminars,
work with individuals, and teach job
search skills at St. Lawrence College.”
Catherine continues to give back to
the Post-Polio community by being
a March of Dimes monthly donor.
“I am so thankful for what March of Dimes
did for me and what I was able to do in
my life. If it wasn’t for March of Dimes,
I would not be able to be active and
run my business. So, by donating, and
volunteering, I am able to give back, the
way they gave to me,” she continues.
Catherine considers one of her most
important roles at March of Dimes that
of monthly donor. “The Dime Plan,” or
monthly giving, is an effective way to
provide stable and ongoing support
for the work of March of Dimes by preauthorizing
a regular monthly deduction
from your bank account or credit card.
She finds the monthly donations very
convenient, and it takes the guesswork
out of remembering when to donate.
Post-Polio Canada is funded entirely by
donor dollars, and those dollars continue
to improve lives. This syndrome is still
mysterious, but MODC-funded research
is helping us begin to understand it.
www.marchofdimes.ca www.marchofdimes.ca
/MarchofDimesCanada www.marchofdimes.ca /MarchofDimesCanada @modcanada /MarchofDimesCanada @modcanada @marchofdimescda
/MarchofDimesCanada @modcanada @marchofdimescda /marchofdimescda
@modcanada @marchofdimescda /marcho @
“I’m so thankful that MODC is
still in the picture supporting
us,” Catherine concludes.
Are you a polio
survivor?
Our Post-Polio
Canada ® program provides
information and support
to polio survivors across
the country. We’re here to
help. For more information,
call the Warmline ® at
1-800-480-5903 or visit
marchofdimes.ca/Post-Polio
do you want to
be a monthly
donor?
To learn more about becoming
a monthly donor, or how to leave
a gift to March of Dimes Canada
in your will, please contact:
Margaret Purcell,
Acting Associate Director,
Individual Giving, at
1-800-263-3463 ext. 7286 or
at mpurcell@marchofdimes.ca
ways to
contact us
Stay connected! Hear more great stories
about our programs and participants on
social media. Like or follow us on your
favourite app today:
1-800-263-3463 | www.marchofdimes.ca
Charitable Registration No: 10788 3928 RR0001