Jennifer-Our Inspiration for the St. Nicholas Neighbor in Need Foundation!

Jennifer was diagnosed with relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 1994, at the age of 22. She had been very active all her life and especially enjoyed roller blading, working out and caring for her grandmother most. Determined to not let MS dictate the direction of her life, Jennifer married Dan and they have been blessed with 6 children. Jennifer’s 25 year journey with MS has been both heartbreaking and inspiring.

When we first started discussing seeking help for Jennifer, she had been in a wheelchair full time for several years only able to walk a few feet. At that time, Jennifer had a lift in the back of her 12 passenger van where a power scooter was stored. However, Jennifer could no longer walk the length of the van from the driver’s door to the trunk space where the lift was located, nor could she physically operate the lift controls to unsecure the lift from the harness. Therefore, anywhere Jennifer needed or desired to go required assistance from someone else.

Additionally, Jennifer’s bathroom posed difficulties for her. The bathroom was not handicap accessible which made all things bathroom related difficult and a safety risk due to potential falls.

As her friends, we witnessed Jennifer’s incredible struggles each day. We also witnessed her strength in trying to beat this disease that had stolen her independence, caused immense physical pain, and challenged her ability to function daily. During 2019 we tried several different avenues to seek assistance for Jennifer to obtain a handicap accessible van, but were met with one road block and closed door after another.

While brainstorming one day, we were lead to the idea of establishing a foundation that would help our neighbors in need. Therefore, not only helping our dear friend, Jennifer, but also others in our area who were in need of help. Inspired by Jennifer, and our deceased father’s, who were both generous and kind hearted men who loved Christmas and the charitable spirit of St. Nicholas, the St. Nicholas Neighbor in Need Foundation was born.

Within one month of the inception of the foundation idea and spreading the word to friends, family and neighbors, we were able to raise enough money to purchase a handicap accessible van and provide a re-model to Jennifer’s bathroom making it handicap accessible. On December 6, 2019 we were blessed to surprise Jennifer and her family with the van and a certificate for the re-model which was completed in the first few months of 2020.