‘We’re just the helpers’: Nonprofit donates 7 strollers to children with disabilities

Rachel Losier loves shopping at the mall and going to amusement parks.

But, for the past few years, a knee injury has prevented her from keeping up with her family and appreciating these outings.

Losier, 18, of New Alexandria has Down syndrome, which is known for causing recurring knee injuries.

“It’s always going to be an issue for her,” said Sarah Yohe, Rachel’s mother.

With the help of an adaptive stroller from a Pine-based nonprofit, Losier will be able to keep up with her family again.

“Having this (stroller) now, forever, it’s not just a temporary thing,” Yohe said.

Variety the Children’s Charity Pittsburgh, one of 40 charity chapters, donated adaptive strollers to seven children from Westmoreland County during an event Tuesday at Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7 in Hempfield.

The charity donates strollers, bikes and communication devices to children with disabilities across 71 counties in Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. The strollers and bikes are designed for children with mobility-related disabilities.

Since its inception in November 2012, the charity has donated more than 6,500 items at a cost of more than $9.9 million.

Westmoreland Intermediate Unit 7, which operates the Clairview School for children with disabilities, helps the charity identify recipients. Blackburn’s, a medical equipment provider in Tarentum, constructs the items. Blackburn’s representatives attended the event to explain the strollers’ features to the parents.

CEO Charlie LaVallee, who referred to himself as “chief excitement officer” to the children, said the charity started by donating bikes in 2012. He had not thought of the importance of adaptive strollers until a mother with a disabled child approached him.

“She said, ‘I have a 5-year-old who just takes off and a 3-year-old. What would you like me to do when my 5-year-old takes off in the Walmart parking lot?’ ” LaVallee said. “That’s terrifying.”

The strollers help contain children who are prone to running away, but they also are lighter than a typical wheelchair and easily collapse to fit into a car, LaVallee said.

Reagan Neal, 15, of Lower Burrell received her first stroller from the charity about nine years ago. Before that, her mother said it was a challenge to leave the house safely.

Although Reagan has a wheelchair, it is too heavy to take to and from school every day, Kim Neal said.

“She uses it at her desk as her school chair, which is great because it is custom-fitted for her,” she said. “But when we go on walks or go to a park or go to places like Kennywood — family things — it’s just so much easier to throw this (stroller) in the back.”

Reagan also has received two bikes and two communication devices from the charity. She has mastered riding the bike on her own, and the communication device has helped her express herself, her mother said.

“We’ve benefited a lot from a lot of (the charity’s) products. The speech device, she uses every day,” Kim Neal said. “She uses them at school and at home. She’s able to tell jokes on them — just have something to interject into the conversation.”

As the children and parents tested out the new strollers and paraded around the room, LaVallee looked on with a smile. For him, creating solutions for people in need is a “blessing.”

“We’re just the helpers at Variety. It’s the moms, the dads, the grandmas, the grandpas, brothers and sisters and therapists who are doing the work every day,” LaVallee said. “We’re honored to be helpers.”

The charity has partnered with Z&M Harley-Davidson on Route 30 in Hempfield for its annual Reason to Ride fundraiser. The charity donated one bike during the fundraiser’s kickoff in March, but five more children will receive bikes at the closing ceremony in October.

To apply for a stroller or communication device, visit varietypittsburgh.org/applynow. According to the website, bike applications are temporarily paused while the charity switches to a new model.