Celebrating a Milestone

Tim Ellis from Jackson, Miss., recently retired from his career as a financial professional. He decided to celebrate his retirement by hosting a fundraiser for Le Bonheur Children’s outpatient rehabilitation services in honor of his 3-year-old grandson, Lucas.

“We want Lucas to have a great life and a comprehensive rehabilitation facility in his hometown can help with that,” Ellis said. “We want to help other kids realize their best life as well.”

Lucas was not hitting milestones as expected and was referred for speech, physical and occupational therapies at Le Bonheur. His parents noticed an improvement in his condition — therapy gave him confidence, it helped with his head control and taught him how to sit independently. “The therapists genuinely care about Lucas and want him to succeed,” said Lucas’ dad, Peyton.

In addition to gifts from his father’s coworkers, Tim’s employer matched many of the gifts providing additional necessary funds for Le Bonheur.

The Ellis family hope to help fund intensive therapy equipment and training for therapists that will not only help Lucas, but also other children like Lucas who can benefit from this type of therapy.

“We have been on a path to provide more options for families in need of intensive therapy services locally for several years now,” Danielle Keeton, Le Bonheur Children’s director of Rehabilitation Services, said. “Tim’s retirement gifts will help us purchase some of the next pieces of needed equipment. It will also help us provide our therapists with the latest training and skill-building opportunities.”

The fundraiser was easy for the family as gifts could be donated online or by mail. Would you like to celebrate a milestone in your life like a birthday or anniversary by giving back to Le Bonheur? All the information you need can be found at www.lebonheur.org/fundraise.