Client Meetings, a Bike Surprise, and More at Abilities Expo New York Metro 2023

Last weekend, our team returned to Abilities Expo New York Metro to connect with clients, Ambassadors, medical professionals, vendors, and a diverse group of attendees.

It would be the second-most-attended weekend in Abilities Expo history.

Sonny and Kate from Help Hope Live are at the Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo New York Metro. The booth includes a teal tablecloth that reads Help Hope Live: Trusted Medical Fundraising, standing signs and banners, brochures, pens, wristbands, and more. Sonny has light skin and sandy blonde hair. Kate has light skin, glasses, and light brown wavy hair. Both women wear Help Hope Live polo shirts.

One of the best parts of any Expo is meeting local clients. This weekend did not disappoint!

Sonny Mullen is at Abilities Expo NY Metro with Help Hope Live clients Nathan and Charlotte Borgersen. Sonny has light skin an a teal Help Hope Live polo. Nathan has light skin, glasses, and short curly red hair. Charlotte has light skin, curly brown hair, and glasses. The siblings are both seated in their power chairs.

Nathan and Charlotte Borgersen have been fundraising with Help Hope Live for over three years and successfully secured a much-needed accessible vehicle through community support.

Four Hope-themed geometric and intricate adult coloring works by client Jane Koza that have been framed.

Kelly Green takes a selfie at Abilities Expo NY Metro with Sonny Mullen and client Jane Koza. Kelly has light skin, dark eyes, dark hair, and a teal Help Hope Live polo. Sonny has light skin, sandy hair, and a matching Help Hope Live polo. Jane has light skin, short hair, and dark eyes and is seated in her black power chair in front of the Help Hope Live table, which includes candy, pens, paperclips, and a banner.

Jane Koza, a talented artist, started fundraising with us in 2015. Jane created and donated unique artworks for the Help Hope Live headquarters.

Help Hope Live’s Brooke Schostak is with client Julie Chambers at Abilities Expo NY Metro. Brooke has light skin, blonde hair, dark eyes, and glasses and wears a teal Help Hope Live t-shirt and Abilities Expo nametag. Julie has brown skin, braided black hair, and a sparkling tiara and sash that partially reads Ms. Wheelchair as she is seated in her black manual wheelchair.

Julie Chambers, a Help Hope Live client for seven-plus years, who shared with us her experience of switching from GoFundMe and finding greater success with our trusted medical fundraising.

Kate and Sonny are in front of the Help Hope Live booth of Abilities Expo NY Metro with client and Ms Wheelchair America Ali Ingersoll. Kate has light skin, curly brown hair, and glasses and wears a Help Hope Live teal polo. Sonny has sandy hair just past her shoulders, light skin, and a matching polo. Ali Ingersoll has light skin, blonde hair just past her shoulders, and a sparkling tiara with a Ms Wheelchair America sash across her chest. She is seated in a black power chair.

It was a pleasure to connect with client Ali Ingersoll in-person—Ms. Wheelchair America 2023. Ali is an advocate, disability strategy consultant, writer, and public speaker who will co-host our June 1 Hope Talk on navigating insurance appeals and approvals. Register free!

At Abilities Expo NY Metro, Sonny and Kelly pose with Help Hope Live supporters the Murray family. A man and a woman are standing with light skin and gray hair and one woman is seated in her black power chair with light skin, a red blouse, and curly brown hair.

Kelly Green and a Help Hope Live supporter pose in front of the Help Hope Live booth of Abilities Expo NY Metro with client and Ms Wheelchair America Ali Ingersoll. The supporter is a woman with short gray hair, light skin, and glasses. Kelly Green has dark hair past her shoulders, light skin, and a black Help Hope Live North Face jacket. Ali has a vivid printed shirt with a Ms Wheelchair America sash over it as she sits in her black power chair. She has light skin, blonde hair, and a tiara.

We were overjoyed to connect with the family of our longtime supporter and board member Liam Murray.

Black lab service dog Dolly Pawton stands next to the Freedom Concepts Help Hope Live-themed teal adaptive bike in front of the Freedom Concepts booth at Abilities Expo NY Metro.

And of course, no Abilities Expo New York Metro would be complete without a cameo from client Amy Sherwood’s Dolly Pawton.

Kelly Green takes a selfie with Sonny Mullen at the Help Hope Live workshop at Abilities Expo NY Metro. Behind Kelly and Sonny are more than a dozen workshop attendees of different ages, ethnicities, and mobility levels. Some are in power chairs, using manual wheel chairs, or holding canes. Some wear masks.

On Saturday, we presented a medical fundraising workshop to a packed room. Attendees came ready with their burning questions about fundraising with Help Hope Live.

Help Hope Live’s Kelly Green with the family of 3-year-old Easton Clark and Freedom Concepts staff members at Abilities Expo NY. Easton is seated and strapped into a teal Help Hope Live-themed adaptive tricycle.

On Sunday, we presented an adaptive bike surprise to three-year-old client Easton Clark and his family.

3-year-old Easton sits on his teal adaptive bike at Abilities Expo NY Metro. He has light skin, brown eyes, and long light brown hair.

Kelly Green is pictured with members of the Rosenblatt Foundation and a Freedom Concepts representative with a Help Hope Live-themed adaptive bike at Abilities Expo NY Metro.

“I cannot express how grateful we are. This bike is going to make all the difference for him. He is so excited to get riding with his big sister.”

We are filled with gratitude to the Esther and Pedro Rosenblatt Foundation for making this gift of joy and movement possible for Easton. Read his story and learn about the impact this Freedom Concepts bike will have on his life on the Abilities Expo website.

3-year-old client Easton Clark is strapped into his new Freedom Concepts Help Hope Live-themed adaptive tricycle. He has light skin, long light brown hair, and dark eyes. Mom is pictured kneeling with her face next to Easton’s. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. They are at Abilities Expo NY Metro.

The impact of our presence at the Expo was immediate: we began receiving calls right away from individuals and families who learned about us over the weekend and wanted to move forward with a medical fundraising campaign.