Meet The Families!
The Smiths- Jenner
The Smiths have 5 beautiful children, with sweet Jenner being their 4th. As a baby, Jenner was happy and content, a complete dream. At 2 1/2 years of age, after not hitting some pretty important milestones with speech, and developing some odd behaviors, mom Charly decided to have Jenner assessed. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Development Delay.
Jenner is a very happy boy, but happy doesn’t always mean safe. He is nonverbal, he avoids people he doesn’t know, and he bolts towards anything that catches his eye. It makes outings as a family extremely hard. His brothers play hockey which often separates the family and prevents them from enjoying these activities together. Charly has had to avoid places as Jenner stims by running, jumping, hand flapping and repetition of certain sounds that he finds comforting. Jenner copes with stress by head banging when he’s upset and wanting to be alone and not touched. As Jenner grows, keeping him safe only becomes more difficult. Their family needs a therapy dog from Aspen Service Dogs to help Jenner in multiple areas of life.
Jenner loves animals, and this dog will provide comfort when he is needing his “squishes” deep pressure. The dog will also sleep with Jenner, and alert the family when Jenner tries to leave his bedroom when no one is awake. The therapy dog will attend school with him to help bring stability, familiarity and regulation for the transition of kindergarten. It will also accompany him for family outings. Like brothers hockey games. Autism is a invisible disability meaning most of the population can’t see someone has autism by their looks. Jenner's dog will be an advocate for him when his few words fail. The dog will promote compassion and acceptance within his community.
In December of 2019, the process was started for obtaining Jenner's therapy dog. It is a two year training period to develop compatibility with Jenner. Therapy dogs do NOT come cheap! Charly and her family put down a $5000 deposit to start this process. They also held a very successful garage sale fundraiser which brought in $10,000. They are more than halfway and only need another $10,000 for the remaining instalment.
*Update*
Thanks to the generous donations of items by local businesses and a resounding community response, our Spring Silent Auction raised over $13,000 for Jenner's therapy dog, including overhead prices such as lodging for the family as they participate in the training. This event was undoubtedly a success, thanks to you!!
Click here to see a donor list.
The Smiths have 5 beautiful children, with sweet Jenner being their 4th. As a baby, Jenner was happy and content, a complete dream. At 2 1/2 years of age, after not hitting some pretty important milestones with speech, and developing some odd behaviors, mom Charly decided to have Jenner assessed. He was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Global Development Delay.
Jenner is a very happy boy, but happy doesn’t always mean safe. He is nonverbal, he avoids people he doesn’t know, and he bolts towards anything that catches his eye. It makes outings as a family extremely hard. His brothers play hockey which often separates the family and prevents them from enjoying these activities together. Charly has had to avoid places as Jenner stims by running, jumping, hand flapping and repetition of certain sounds that he finds comforting. Jenner copes with stress by head banging when he’s upset and wanting to be alone and not touched. As Jenner grows, keeping him safe only becomes more difficult. Their family needs a therapy dog from Aspen Service Dogs to help Jenner in multiple areas of life.
Jenner loves animals, and this dog will provide comfort when he is needing his “squishes” deep pressure. The dog will also sleep with Jenner, and alert the family when Jenner tries to leave his bedroom when no one is awake. The therapy dog will attend school with him to help bring stability, familiarity and regulation for the transition of kindergarten. It will also accompany him for family outings. Like brothers hockey games. Autism is a invisible disability meaning most of the population can’t see someone has autism by their looks. Jenner's dog will be an advocate for him when his few words fail. The dog will promote compassion and acceptance within his community.
In December of 2019, the process was started for obtaining Jenner's therapy dog. It is a two year training period to develop compatibility with Jenner. Therapy dogs do NOT come cheap! Charly and her family put down a $5000 deposit to start this process. They also held a very successful garage sale fundraiser which brought in $10,000. They are more than halfway and only need another $10,000 for the remaining instalment.
*Update*
Thanks to the generous donations of items by local businesses and a resounding community response, our Spring Silent Auction raised over $13,000 for Jenner's therapy dog, including overhead prices such as lodging for the family as they participate in the training. This event was undoubtedly a success, thanks to you!!
Click here to see a donor list.
Nile Froese
Hi, We're the Froese family!
We're blessed with three wonderful little boys - Enver (age 7), Nile (age 5), and our most recent addition: Haevn (5 weeks). We're an adventurous family who won't let much hold us back! In the case of our son Nile (who has spinal muscular atrophy) it can be difficult at times to find creative ways to include him in all the wild adventures we want to get into. From going to the skate park to hiking a mountain - we want to include Nile in all that we possibly can! It is one thing to find a "one size fits all" wheelchair and acquire a special needs sticker for better parking... But it is another feat entirely to find equipment specialized to Nile and our family's needs. It can get super expensive buying everything we need to give him the best upbringing possible! Enter in "make a move with Jagger"! They have not only supplied us with swimming lessons to strengthen Nile's body but they have also provided us with some amazing tools to make it easier for our family to navigate the world! First with the purchase of a high quality hiking backpack and secondly with our "do it all" stroller wagon that can carry all of our kids (or our groceries 😉 at the same time)! We are incredibly grateful to have found these compassionate and generous people. Their help has taken many a load off these tired parents which in turn makes all the difference for our three precious children! Thank you so much to everyone involved with Make a move with jagger!
We're blessed with three wonderful little boys - Enver (age 7), Nile (age 5), and our most recent addition: Haevn (5 weeks). We're an adventurous family who won't let much hold us back! In the case of our son Nile (who has spinal muscular atrophy) it can be difficult at times to find creative ways to include him in all the wild adventures we want to get into. From going to the skate park to hiking a mountain - we want to include Nile in all that we possibly can! It is one thing to find a "one size fits all" wheelchair and acquire a special needs sticker for better parking... But it is another feat entirely to find equipment specialized to Nile and our family's needs. It can get super expensive buying everything we need to give him the best upbringing possible! Enter in "make a move with Jagger"! They have not only supplied us with swimming lessons to strengthen Nile's body but they have also provided us with some amazing tools to make it easier for our family to navigate the world! First with the purchase of a high quality hiking backpack and secondly with our "do it all" stroller wagon that can carry all of our kids (or our groceries 😉 at the same time)! We are incredibly grateful to have found these compassionate and generous people. Their help has taken many a load off these tired parents which in turn makes all the difference for our three precious children! Thank you so much to everyone involved with Make a move with jagger!
My name is Anita and I am grandma to Nile Froese from Red Deer Alberta. He and his parents Jayden and Stefani Froese were recently the recipients of an incredible Stroller wagon that has helped immensely with his mobility and ability to enjoy the outdoors at this wonderful time of year. Thank you so very much for your generosity in the provision of both of this and previously a backpack in which he can be carried. This little guy is truly a delight to our entire family and having him be able to participate in all that is going on is truly a Godsend! Your organization is making such a difference to families and children with challenges and we are very very grateful.
Sincerely,
Anita Viergutz
Sincerely,
Anita Viergutz
