Fundraising for the McLaren Family - Accessible Vehicle

Thank you for visiting our donation page! Donations are now being collected on our behalf by Rotary. Donations to the link below are tax deductible and go towards the purchase of the vehicle.
If you wish to make a tax free donation, please go here -> https://donations.rawcs.com.au/39-2021-22
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David and Rosalie McLaren live in Traralgon Victoria with their 6 children – Alyssa (12), Bradley (10), Sarah (8), Claire (6), Penny (4) and James (18 months). In 2020 Alyssa, Bradley, Penny and James were diagnosed with Progressive Pseudo-rheumatoid Dysplasia (PPRD), a rare genetic condition that affects the growth of the bones and joints throughout the body and causes progressive disability throughout their lifetime, which require high levels of physical support including hoisting and assistance with daily activities such as dressing, bathing and other self-care activities. Alyssa and Bradley both now require the fulltime use of wheelchairs for mobility at home and in the community with the assistance of their parents and support workers. Penny and James are also expected to need wheelchairs in the future as their condition will also deteriorate.

Prior to her diagnosis, Alyssa went from being an outgoing young girl, who participated in gymnastics, pony club and loved hiking, to being dependent on a wheelchair for mobility, and requiring assistance with dressing and daily tasks within the space of a few years. Bradley has also recently gone from riding his bike and enjoying playing outside with friends to needing a walker and then a wheelchair over the space of a few months.
The McLaren family are in urgent need of a wheelchair accessible vehicle that can be suitably modified to accommodate their family and up to 4 wheelchairs with a lift for ease of access. This will ensure that the children can continue to access the community, family outings and their many medical and therapeutic appointments. Their current vehicle is not suitable for modification, does not accommodate their changing needs and is causing injury and harm during transfers into and out of the car. Currently, Rosalie is struggling to lift Alyssa into the car. This causes Alyssa pain, and puts strain on Rosalie’s back, risking injury and falls to both. Bradley can assist somewhat with his transfer, but it is only a matter of time before he requires full support to transfer also. As the children grow, this task will become more difficult.

The (National Disability Insurance Scheme) NDIS states that vehicles need to be less than 5 years of age and have under 80,000km to be suitable for modification. The vehicle purchased also needs to be suitable to last the McLaren family for years to come and be suitable to meet the needs of all four children. Upon consultation, the most suitable vehicle to meet these requirements is a long wheel base Mercedes Benz Sprinter. This vehicle is big enough to fit all of the wheelchairs, can be adapted to accommodate the required modifications and meet all legal requirements.

There are no government programs available for financial assistance to purchase a vehicle, so this fundraising campaign has been set up on their behalf to ease some of the financial burden for the family. Please donate if you can and share with your family and friends so that we can reach our target as soon as possible.

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If you do not have a credit card and wish to donate, please contact Stacey at mclarenfundraising@gmail.com