Know EXACTLY where your donation is going

'Tis the time of year where we are all in a giving mood, but where to donate our dollars?

Well, if you want to see your dollars in action, possibly quite literally, then you should donate to Danielle Otto.

Danielle is a Winnipegger with big dreams and an even bigger hurdle - winter. From her Go Fund Me page:

I've been a wheelchair user since was five years old, and I have an awesome life.
Wheelchairs are often seen as as very negative: confining, limiting. But my power chairs have been extremely liberating to me. I can go anywhere, anytime I want without anyone's help.  And because I have Cerebral Palsy, that is a level of mobility I'd never be able  to achieve without this technology. It's amazing.

I've done a lot with the freedom my chairs have given me. I have a degree in Psychology. I work as a counsellor in a health clinic, and as advocate for university students. I'm hoping to go to law school in the Fall of 2015.     
Unfortunately though, my current chair isn't working out so well. It has poor traction in cold or snowy environments (a BIG problem for someone living in downtown Winnipeg who is a a die-hard pedestrian and public transit user). The footrests have broken EIGHT TIMES in a year and half. They are not designed for the way I need to use them. 

It is a constant source of worry and frustration.

I can't simply request a better chair.  Wheelchair Services in Manitoba offers only a few pre-selected chairs, made by a single manufacturer, and it doesn't really matter if those truly meet your needs. 
So I'm hoping that you will help me buy a Permobil M400 Corpus 3G. This device is VERY expensive , but Permobil chairs are well-respected in the wheelchair industry for being of superior quality, and having cutting-edge features like a special powered footplate that will not snap without warning...and drumroll please...SNOW TIRES.

By donating toward the purchase of an M400, you will give me tremendous peace of mind, and enable me to keep working toward my goals without slowing down for repairs.

Since this is Winnipeg, I "know" Danielle by only one degree of separation, and what she doesn't mention in her writeup is all the time that she has spent volunteering. Or how hard it can be to get a job that pays enough to cover additional expenses associated with her Cerebral Palsy; what jobs do you know that young adults have that don't typically require someone to be able-bodied?

Danielle has a brilliant mind and to help this young woman attend law school, something that will come with additional challenges for her over the other students, would be a benefit to society as a whole. She's one of those "going to change the world" sort of people.

So, this holiday season, if you are looking to do some good, or perhaps make a donation in lieu of a gift, consider helping Danielle out. If you are local to Winnipeg, you might even get to see her roll on by with her new wheels - that's seeing your dollars in action!