When Easter Seals was forced to cancel its fundraiser, families stepped up

Families are raising money for the Easter Seals of Greater Houston after the non-profit's annual fundraiser was canceled due to COVID19 concerns.

"Rush hour has been changed to avoiding the strollers in the street," laughed Michael Ryan.

"So, the walks have been interesting," added Laura Ryan. "Paige is now an independent little two year old, so she wants to get in and out of the stroller a lot. Robert loves going on them, though."

Michael and Laura's son, Robert, is five years old and has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and development delays due to a premature birth.

He and the family were looking forward to the 2020 Easter Seals Walk with Me fundraiser on April 25.

The huge event usually raises about a million dollars for disabled children, adults, and veterans.

"The transition has been crazy," explained Kelly Klein, the non-profit's Development Director. "People who didn't even have internet in their own homes now because of Comcast have internet essentials and we're doing teletherapy with them."

Families are now fundraising by collecting donations online.

Four times a week, the Ryan family moves around the block together.

It's a way to keep a promise to support Easter Seals, and the quality time together matters, especially because the family of four is about to become a family of five.

They're expecting a baby later this year.

A lot of the stuff that was making headlines before seem to not matter as much like they did just a couple of weeks ago," Michael said. "It definitely puts life in perspective. It's so easy to get caught in the motions."

If you'd like to participate in this year's virtual fundraiser, go here for more info:

https://www.eastersealshouston.org/Events/walk-with-me.html