Connections and Joy at Abilities Expo LA 2024

We attended the Abilities Expo LA March 15-17, 2024. We found so many ways to connect with our community and clients.

We got the chance to once again present a local kid living with disabilities with a customized Freedom Concepts adaptive bike.

Take a look!

Karli, Sonny, and Kelly L Green at the Help Hope Live booth of Abilities Expo LA, which is branded with teal and the tagline Trusted Medical Fundraising. Karli has light skin, straight brown hair, and a black face mask and she wears a teal Help Hope Live polo. A head shorter than Karli, Sonny has light skin, sandy straight hair, and a teal Help Hope Live polo. At the same height as Sonny, Kelly Green has light skin, red-brown straight hair, dark eyes, and a light blue Help Hope Live branded polo.

Abilities Expo events are unique gatherings for the disability community, including individuals and families as well as vendors and professionals.

We attended Abilities Expo LA not just to connect with our community but also to offer information on trusted medical fundraising during our Help Hope Live workshop.

These workshops give attendees the chance to understand how community-based fundraising with us can help bring everything they see at the Expo—from key medical items to cutting-edge technology—within closer reach.

At the Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo LA, which is branded with teal and the tagline Trusted Medical Fundraising, Karli and Sonny are with client Ambassador Dylan Mortimer. Karli has light skin, straight brown hair, and a black face mask and she wears a teal Help Hope Live polo. A head shorter than Karli, Sonny has light skin, sandy straight hair, and a teal Help Hope Live polo. Half a head taller than Karli, Dylan has light skin, a red ball cap, and a charcoal gray sweater.

Client Ambassadors Dylan Mortimer and Rachelle Ledbetter joined us in LA.

Three Help Hope Live staff members with a client standing at the Help Hope Live branded booth of Abilities Expo 2024. From left to right, Kelly Green has light skin, dark eyes, and an emerald green blazer. Client Ambassador Rachelle Ledbetter has light skin, glasses, shoulder-length gray hair, and a teal Help Hope Live polo. A head taller than the other three women, Karli has light skin, straight brown hair, and a white top. Sonny has light skin and a cream sweater over a teal polo.

Ambassadors join us at Abilities Expo events to help spread the word about Help Hope Live as they connect with Abilities Expo attendees, sharing their personal experiences to help build trust and answer questions.

Help Hope Live's Karli and client Ambassador Rachelle Ledbetter are seated behind the teal Help Hope Live table at Abilities Expo LA 2024. The table is covered with brochures, pens, and other materials. Karli has light skin, a white top, straight brown hair, and a black face mask. Rachelle has light skin, glasses, shoulder-length gray hair, and a teal Help Hope Live polo. In front of the table, a man in a wheelchair is speaking with Rachelle. He has brown skin and short black hair. A woman listening beside him has brown skin, curly black hair, and a cream collared shirt.

We ran into a few familiar faces we were so excited to see, including client John Ekman, who is living with spinal muscular atrophy.

He shared his excitement about the SureHands home mobility support product line showcased at Abilities Expo LA.

At the Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo LA 2024, which is branded with Help Hope Live teal and the tagline Trusted Medical Fundraising, client John Ekhart is with his mother seated in his black power chair. John has light skin, glasses, and a beanie with black warm booties. Standing beside him, his mom has light skin, shoulder-length light red hair, and glasses.

We connected with client Arthur Martinot, who has raised over $63,000 with Help Hope Live following a 2022 spinal cord injury overseas:

Kelly L Green with client Arthur Martinot in front of the Help Hope Live booth with tagline Trusted Medical Fundraising at Abilities Expo LA 2024. Kelly has light skin, dark eyes, straight red and brown hair, a black Help Hope Live polo sweater, and jeans. Arthur has light skin, shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and a brown and gray short beard.

We loved catching up with the family of our client Xavier Long:

The family of Help Hope Live client Xavier Long with Sonny at Abilities Expo LA in 2024. In front of the Help Hope Live banner with the tagline Trusted Medical Fundraising, 3-year-old Xavier is seated and strapped into his black and blue wheelchair. He has brown skin, short curly brown hair, dark eyes, and glasses. His family includes a woman with light skin and shoulder-length wavy hair and dark eyes holding a child with brown skin and dark eyes. Beside her is a girl with light skin, brown eyes, and long wavy hair. Crouching beside her is a man with brown skin, dark eyes, and short black hair. Sonny has light skin, straight sandy hair past her shoulders, a denim jacket over a teal polo, and Starry Night Van Gogh-inspired leggings.

We also caught up with some of our favorite vloggers: client Cole Sydnor and his wife, Charisma, of Roll with Cole & Charisma:

Kelly L Green in front of the Help Hope Live booth and signage at Abilities Expo 2024 with client Cole and his wife Charisma of the YouTube channel Roll with Cole & Charisma. Seated in his power chair, Cole has light skin, short brown hair, a black long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and Timberlands. Kelly has light skin, red and brown straight hair, a black Help Hope Live branded sweater, and jeans. Charisma has brown skin, braided black hair pulled back, a black blazer, and jeans.

…and Shane of Squirmy and Grubs and the nonprofit Laughing at My Nightmare:

Help Hope Live's Sonny with YouTubers Cole Sydnor of Roll with Cole & Charisma and Shane of Squirmy and Grubs at abilities Expo 2024. Sonny has light skin, sandy straight hair, and a denim jacket. Cole is seated in his power chair with light skin, blue eyes, short light brown hair, a black shirt, and jeans. Shane has light skin, short brown hair, glasses, a blue sweater, and gray jeans.

Once last encounter we loved: we stopped to chat with Arthur Renowitzky, founder of Life Goes On Foundation.

Kelly L Green meets Arthur Renowitzky, founder of Life Goes On Foundation, at Abilities Expo LA 2024. Kelly has light skin, straight red-brown hair, a black Help Hope Live North Face polo, and jeans. Arthur is seated in his black and silver wheelchair with light skin, short black hair, a hoodie, and ripped jeans revealing tattoos on his knees.

We were thrilled to once again have the chance to gift a customized adaptive bike to a Help Hope Live client family during Abilities Expo LA.

Karla Ilhuicatzi is 13-year-old living with life-impacting diagnoses including hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. She loves to sing—especially Taylor Swift—creating makeup videos, and exercising.

This Help Hope Live-themed teal adaptive bike from Freedom Concepts is customized to Karla’s unique mobility needs, giving her one more way to exercise and enjoy her community and the outdoors.