Harley's Wallet: Every Kid deserves A Chance:
To Learn
Literacy and sports are important for learning and developing the mind. For kids living with blindness, Braille is an important part of learning and goalball is a sport that was developed for the blind. We realize that sighted kids sometimes also need help. These are the ways we help promote learning:
- Provide T-Shirts for the Central Texas Regional Braille Challenge
- Sponsor Charts and Graphs Awards for the Central Texas Regional Braille Challenge and the Braille Challenge Finals
- Provide airfare to any Texas kid that qualifies for the Braille Challenge Finals
- Contribute towards the NFB of Texas Harley Fetterman Scholarship for blind students
- Partner with Seedlings to provide books for Young Braille readers
- Provide equipment for the Central Texas Avengers goalball team and sponsor goalball tournament fees
- Provide football equipment for the George West Rattlers Pee Wee football program
To Be Comforted
Pediatric patient care has many aspects. We provide comfort in these ways::
- Provide gift cards for patients at Dell Children's Medical Center (Austin) and Driscoll Children's Hospital (Corpus Christi)
- Provide parking vouchers for patients in the BMT unit at Texas Children's Hospital
- Support room make-overs for pediatric patients through Savvy Giving By Design
- Help with celebrations for kids staying at Dell Children's Medical Center during the holidays
- Provide support as needed for new or emergency situations (Examples: gift bags for newly diagnosed patients, replace stolen equipment for little league, help with meals for a town with interrupted water or power service)
To Feel Safe
Some of the most vulnerable kids are those that are at risk for violence and exploitation where they live. We have chosen to support groups that protect these kids:
- Trulight 127 Ministries which provides emergency foster care. We assess their needs each year to determine the best way to support them. We have provided playground equipment, gift cards, suitcases, diapers and food in the past. This year, we plan to buy duffle bags for the kids to carry their belongings.
- Roy Maas Youth Alternatives provides shelters for kids that have been exploited and helps them make a better life. We provide gift cards for those shelters.
To Live!
Kids with life threatening diseases can't always experience life like other kids. The most obvious way to help them is to find a cure, but we feel that living also includes options for new experiences: These are the ways we help these kids live:
- Sponsor an event at Camp Discovery (a camp for Texas pediatric cancer patients)
- This year, we were fortunate to be able to provide kayaks for Camp Aranzazu (Rockport) and Lions Camp (Kerrville), two camps that cater to kids with special needs
- Provide a wish through Make-A-Wish
- To help with childhood cancer research, we partner with St Baldrick's Foundation by holding a fundraising event. Volunteers raise money by shaving their heads for donations. Harley's Wallet's shaving events have raised more than $80,000 over the past 4 years towards St Baldrick's grants. In shaving, the volunteers also show solidarity with the kids who often lose hair during their treatments.