A Lifestyle Enhancement
A Story About the First Clarence Vincent Foundation
Scooter Recipient
Evening
strolls in the park..., sightseeing trips with the family...,
visits to the mall for a coffee or some shopping. All we need
to do is put on our shoes and head out the door for a fun
and relaxing getaway. It's outings like these that make life
more enjoyable and help us get the fresh air we need to feel
revitalized and relaxed.
 For
the past 15 years, these simple pleasures were not only difficult,
but in many cases, impossible for Andrea of Sterling Heights,
Michigan. Walking her dog or a trip to the zoo with her children
had become so difficult that she would often stay home to
avoid the pain and discomfort that would accompany the trip.
You
see, Andrea suffers from primary-progressive MS, a form of
the disease that affects roughly 10% of MS patients. At Andreas’s
current stage of disability, even the shortest of walks becomes
a tiring and painful experience. MS is the most common neurological
cause of disability in young people and is believed to affect
between 400,000-500,000 people in the United States.
But
Andrea's experience has taken a turn for the better.
Andrea
recently received, free of charge, an electric mobility scooter
from the Clarence Vincent Foundation (CVF) and the people
at Scootaround Inc., North America's leading mobility rental
company. Since receiving the scooter, Andrea says she is on
the road again and living life in a way that she missed for
so long. She is grateful to the kind people at the CVF for
making this possible.
Since
its inception in the summer of 2005, the mission of the CVF
has been to improve the lives of those with mobility issues
by providing them with free mobility scooters. Through ongoing
partnerships with recognized organizations and agencies, the
CVF works with individuals to enhance their life experience
and in many cases, to give back the freedom of mobility.
For
Andrea, the scooter was presented on behalf of the Multiple
Sclerosis Foundation (MSF), a national non-profit organization
that first became aware of Andrea’s plight when hosting
an educational patient program in her area. The people at
MSF chose Andrea as the first scooter recipient due to the
specific challenges presented by her disease. Scootaround
representative Eric Lipp was pleased to make the presentation
in person to Andrea.
Lipp
told the story of how her daughter and husband are still adjusting
to Andrea's disability. One comment from her daughter was
poignant in its simplicity; as her Mom sat on the scooter
and drove it slowly around, her daughter remarked "now
you will be able to go to the mall with me".
When
it comes to mobility scooters, Eric Lipp has first-hand experience
in how it can help in a person's given situation. The day
before his 30th birthday, Lipp was diagnosed with a disease
that caused a tumor to grow on his spinal cord. The tumor
was removed, but due to the trauma of the surgery, he became
disabled and was told he might never regain his ability to
walk. Through extensive therapy and encouragement from other
patients, Eric learned to walk again, with the aid of a cane
and an ankle/foot orthotic brace.
"Although
I can walk short to medium distances, the addition of a mobility
scooter in my situation has really improved my ability to
move around and be active." Lipp is the founder of the
Chicago-based Open
Doors Organization (ODO), disability advocates and creators
of the recent ground-breaking study on trends in the disability
travel market.
Now
that Andrea uses her scooter for daily outings, she no longer
has to stop and rest every 15 feet as she has done previously.
"In the past, I would not even try to visit a location
if there were no benches or seats for me to sit down"
says Andrea. "Family outings are now possible and I even
made a trip by Ferry to Mackinaw Island -- I haven’t
done that in years!"
Andrea
also mentioned how, for the first time in four years, she
was able to go Christmas shopping on her own and pick out
gifts in person, instead of having someone else perform her
shopping tasks. "My eleven year-old daughter appreciates
the time we can now spend together away from the house --
we're all so very pleased!"
The
founding of the Clarence Vincent Foundation was a personal
success for Lee Meagher, president of Scootaround Inc. Her
father, Clarence Vincent, suffered a stroke in 1986 and it
was many months before they could travel abroad again as a
family. Once their travels resumed however, they found that
mobility vehicles and suitable support were sorely lacking
at most of their travel destinations.
Frustrated
by their father's seemingly unnecessary inconveniences, Lee
and her brother David began researching the needs of older
people and others with physical restrictions that travel for
business and pleasure. They discovered that 54 million disabled
people travel in North America every year, with the largest
proportion being over age 50.
With
the discovery of this recognized need, Lee and her family
turned their personal experience into Scootaround Inc., a
unique operation that provides scooter and wheelchair rentals
for vacation and business travelers across North America.
Since that time, Scootaround has flourished and today serves
individuals and organizations through a nation-wide affiliate
and staff network.
In
the years that followed, Lee began to think of ways that she
could benefit the community that helped her company become
a success. The result was first a dream, then a reality --
the development and launch of a foundation in the name of
her father, Clarence Vincent.
Clarence
truly delighted in the dignity and independence derived from
his scooter. "This gift of mobility is something that
he would have wanted all of those with impaired mobility to
experience," says Lee. Indeed, Clarence would be very
pleased to know that the CVF exists to provide others with
the benefits of freedom and mobility that he enjoyed so thoroughly.
Article
by Gerald Adams,
Director of Media Services at Scootaround Inc.
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