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Connection and Impact: Abilities Expo New York Metro 2024

We attended the 2024 Abilities Expo New York Metro May 2-4, and the experience left our team with profound feelings of connection and hope—here’s why.

Stacia and Sonny from Help Hope Live stand behind the teal Help Hope Live: Trusted Medical Fundraising booth at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024. Stacia has light skin, round purple glasses, and curly brown hair and she wears jeans and a teal Help Hope Live polo shirt. Sonny has light skin, golden-brown straight hair, a black Help Hope Live Nike fleece, and jeans. The table features pens, signs, teal bracelets, and photos of Help Hope Live clients.

Communities of Hope in Motion

Abilities Expos are always jam-packed with events and action, but Abilities Expo NY Metro took the excitement to another level. As our Executive Director, Kelly L Green, reflected:

“It was undoubtedly one of the busiest Expos we’ve seen outside of LA.”

Joined by Sonny, our Director of Outreach, and Stacia, a Client Services Coordinator, Kelly got to see both local clients and newcomers respond to our medical fundraising mission.

“Local clients couldn’t stop singing praises about our services.”

Stacia experienced her first Abilities Expo—and it left a big impression:

“I got to actually see the things that our clients are fundraising for in-person. It was amazing!”

Stacia put her sign language skills to use engaging with families at the Expo booth:

Stacia performs sign language with her two hands as she sits behind the teal Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo New York Metro 2024 speaking to a man wearing a ball cap with glasses beside a woman with straight black-brown hair holding a young child in a straw hat. Stacia has light skin, round purple glasses, and curly brown hair and she wears jeans and a teal Help Hope Live polo shirt.

Kelly connected with actor Micah Fowler, who you may know as JJ from Speechless:

At Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024, Help Hope Live Executive Director Kelly L Green meets actor Micah Fowler. Kelly has light skin, brown eyes, dark hair in a ponytail, and a gray Help Hope Live branded sweatshirt with blue jeans. Micah is seated in his black manual wheelchair and has light skin, curly brown hair, brown eyes, a blue flannel, and black leather or faux-leather wheelchair gloves.

Our team also got the chance to check with occupational and physical therapists and other medical professionals—“our Outreach team will be busy with a lot of webinars in the coming months,” predicted Kelly.

Throughout the weekend following the Expo, we received calls from families who had heard about us onsite—including referrals from Abilities Expo vendors:

“It was not only rewarding to connect with individuals who genuinely rely on our support but also heartwarming to witness the enthusiasm from vendors who were eager to steer people in our direction.”

Making Connections

A selfie at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024 with Sonny and Stacia from Help Hope Live and client Jane Koza. Stacia has light skin, round purple glasses, and curly brown hair and she wears a teal Help Hope Live polo shirt. Sonny has light skin, golden-brown straight hair, and a black Help Hope Live Nike fleece. Seated in a power chair, Jane has light skin, dark eyes, silver rimmed glasses, and short sandy hair, and she is decked out in NY Yankees sports team gear.

Connecting with clients in-person always reinforces the importance of our mission: to help stop medical debt before it starts through trusted medical fundraising.

As always, we got the chance to catch up with some of our clients in-person at the Help Hope Live booth, including Jane Koza, Laurel Jastrzembski, and Amy Sherwood:

At Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024, Client Services Coordinator Stacia of Help Hope Live meets client Jane Koza. Standing, Stacia has light skin, round purple glasses, and curly brown hair and she wears jeans and a teal Help Hope Live polo shirt. Seated in a power chair, Jane has light skin, dark eyes, silver rimmed glasses, and short sandy hair, and she is decked out in NY Yankees sports team gear. Stacia and Sonny from Help Hope Live with young client Laurel Jastrzembski at Abilities Expo New York Metro 2024. On the expo floor beside the teal-tableclothed Help Hope Live info booth, Sonny and Stacia are standing beside Laurel who is seated in her purple wheelchair. Stacia has light skin, round purple glasses, and curly brown hair and she wears jeans and a teal Help Hope Live polo shirt. Sonny has light skin, golden-brown straight hair, a black Help Hope Live Nike fleece, and jeans. Laurel has light skin, straight brown hair, black glasses, and a white t-shirt that reads Girl Can Do Anything in purple, and she wears blue leg braces decorated with stickers. A selfie with Help Hope Live Executive Director Kelly L Green, client Amy Sherwood, and her service dog Dolly Pawton. Kelly has light skin, brown eyes, dark hair in a ponytail, and a gray Help Hope Live branded sweatshirt. She holds a Starbucks cup in her left hand. Amy Sherwood is seated on a mobility scooter and she has light skin, blue or hazel eyes, and shoulder-length straight red-brown hair with bangs. Dolly Pawton is a black labrador.

Amy and her constant companion, Dolly Pawton, took the time to help a family learn about Help Hope Live for the first time.

The family immediately felt a sense of relief learning about what we do:

“Thank you for taking the burden off of me for where I was going to find the rest of the money for her wheelchair.”

In a photo taken from just past Kelly Green's shoulder, Kelly is seated at the teal-themed Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024 listening to client Amy Sherwood talk to a family that has stopped by the booth. Kelly has light skin, red-brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and a gray sweater with bright magenta nails. Seated in her wheelchair, Amy Sherwood has light skin and shoulder-length straight brown hair with bangs, and her black labrador service dog Dolly Pawton is within reach. She speaks with three women and one man with Help Hope Live brochures and pens visible on the booth table just in front of them.

Jack and Monica Perme also joined us at the booth with a special purpose: their Moving Forward Compassion Fund with Help Hope Live helps the ataxia community fund adaptive bikes.

Standing with a black and silver mobility assistive device at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024, Jack Perme has light skin, a shaved head, dark eyes, a neat short brown beard, and a big smile. Beside the teal-themed Help Hope Live booth at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024, Jack Perme stands in an assistive mobility device with treaded wheels beside Monica Perme. Jack has light skin, a shaved head, dark eyes, a neat short brown beard, and a big smile and he wears a laminated sign around his neck to advertise the Moving Forward Compassion Fund with Help Hope Live. Monica has light skin, a sandy bob with bangs, a flowery blouse, and khaki pants.

One final quote we loved, from attendee-turned-client Sarah Ryan:

“Abilities Expo was so great! It was like being at Disney World where I was welcome everywhere and people were all very accepting wherever I went. Speaking with Kelly, Sonny and Jack were a highlight of my weekend.”

An Adaptive Bike Giveaway to Remember

Five-year-old Nyla Richmond is living with mobility challenges and other disabilities following a periventricular leukomalacia and epilepsy diagnosis.

At Abilities Expo New York Metro, Nyla received a smile-inducing surprise: a customized Freedom Concepts bike that fits her unique mobility needs.

Seven people stand around 5-year-old Nyla Richmond on her new adaptive tricycle in front of a banner with logos for Help Hope Live, Freedom Concepts, and Abilities Expo. They are at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024. The attendees include four women, three of whom work for Help Hope Live - Stacia, Sonny, and Kelly L Green - and three men, one wearing a suit with light skin and glasses, one wearing orange and blue Freedom Concepts themed clothing with light skin and short dark hair, and Nyla's father, who has brown skin and dark curly hair. Stacia has light skin, curly hair, purple circular glasses, jeans, and a Help Hope Live teal polo shirt. Sonny has light skin, a black Help Hope Live hoodie, jeans, and golden-brown hair pulled back. Kelly has light skin, a gray sweater, and straight red-brown hair. The fourth woman pictured has light skin, glasses, brown hair, and a navy polo. Seated on her teal and black new adaptive bike, Nyla has brown skin, dark eyes, short curly dark hair, a vivid laser-green headband with a flower, a pink collared top, and graffiti-style printed leggings plus stud earrings.

Riding the adaptive bike will help Nyla with her movement and control while improving her coordination and helping strengthen her muscles—all to bring her a little bit closer to the goal of walking independently one day.

An artistic photograph taken over her shoulder shows the reflection of 5-year-old Nyla Richmond in the side mirror of her new Freedom Concepts adaptive tricycle at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2042. Nyla has brown skin, dark eyes, and stud earrings visible in the small mirror.

This bike is the first of its kind within our Every Child Deserves a Bike program: it can be used for not just outdoor use but also stationary indoor use for ongoing therapy benefits.

“The sheer joy on her face coupled with the tears of gratitude from her parents left a profound impact on me,” reflected Kelly:

“Witnessing Nyla’s radiant smile as she rode that bike was truly unforgettable.”

Seated on her new black adaptive tricycle from Freedom Concepts at Abilities Expo NY Metro 2024, 5-year-old Nyla Richmond smiles. She has brown skin, dark eyes, short curly dark hair, a vivid laser-green headband with a flower, a pink collared top, and graffiti-style printed leggings plus stud earrings. Written by Emily Progin