Dear Schuyler’s Community,

We hope you all had wonderful summers. 

As you have all been so supportive of Schuyler in the past, we wanted to provide an update about her progress! Because of your contributions to the Special Needs Trust, Schuy has been able to make enormous strides and have many adventures.

Schuyler is a quarterly regular at NextStep in Orlando, a physical therapy center focused on individuals with spinal cord injuries. She is gaining comfort walking using her walker, and can now use the restroom alone in her home environment - a huge goal for Schuyler. She is also getting stronger and more confident all around. Schuyler is looking forward to her next sessions in September.

In July, Schuyler attended The Rollettes Experience, a weekend of dance and socializing for girls and women with disabilities from all over the country. Schuyler danced her heart out. 

In August, Schuyler went to the Ashmere Project, a camp for individuals with disabilities in Western Mass. She participated in all sorts of camp activities, and if it weren’t for COVID (ugh), she would have been the star of their show at the end of the 2-week camp session. She is already looking forward to going again next year.  

Schuyler is also gaining confidence in public speaking, and was a huge hit when she joined her mom for a recent event in Orlando.

Schuyler continues to inspire us all with her dedication, optimism, and spirit. 

This is not a fundraising email, but rather an update on the various activities you have helped facilitate for Schuy. As the Trust provides regular payments for physical therapy and at-home care, the majority of the funds is invested to sustain our financial support over the long term. We hope to be able to provide similarly notable and positive news in the future!  In the meantime, we remain grateful for your support.

Sending you all best wishes for a lovely fall. Cheers to our Schuy!!

Love,

Valerie Eisenson, Kate Ford, Laura Bass, and Stephanie Granada

P.S. In the absence of a fundraise, there are still options to support Schuyler, if you would like to contribute: 

• Contribute to the Trust for long-term impact – information can be found here. We note that gifts to her trust are taxable, and we recommend including any gifts you make when filing taxes / share any gifts you make with your accountant.

• Contribute to her account at NextStep for additional PT sessions - If you would like to fund Schuyler's physical therapy more directly, you can fund Schuyler’s future appointments at NextStep. You are not making a taxable gift by funding these sessions, and by writing out a check to NextStep Fitness, Inc., 277 Douglas Avenue #1006, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 with Schuyler’s name in the memo line or donating here with Schuyler’s name in the comments section, you can dedicate your full gift toward immediate impact this year! 

• Donate to NextStep - By supporting NextStep’s general programming, you make possible both its specialized physical therapy and social events for members of Schuyler’s community. NextStep Orlando (26-2998891) is a 501(c)(3) organization and gifts to NextStep are tax deductible.