Emily Progin, Content Manager
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Release: Immediate
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO HELP DANCER WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
“It Gives Meaning to My Day—It Feels Like I Don’t Have a Disability”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—44-year-old dancer Toña Rivera has spent her life managing the complex challenges of life with cerebral palsy. The artist and nonprofit founder has received a special invitation to perform at a Las Vegas dance conference in September—but to get there, she must fundraise for a wheelchair accessible van. Her Albuquerque community has already raised over $4,400 towards her $45,000 fundraising goal with the nonprofit Help Hope Live.
If you ask Toña about her experience with wheelchair dance, she’ll challenge you with a simple yet eye-opening question: “What is wheelchair dance?”
Born with cerebral palsy, Toña was pursuing therapy at a children’s hospital in 1999 when she first saw an ad for a dance company that invited dancers with all abilities to join them. “I was 18 years old,” Toña recalled, “and I never imagined that I could dance having a physical disability.”
In 2003, she joined the Buen Viaje Dance Company. After just a short while with the company, her dance director encouraged her to take a teacher certification course in DanceAbility—a dance method accessible to all people with and without disabilities. DanceAbility’s founder, Alito Alessi, would be teaching the course in the summer of 2005.
“It was a true honor knowing someone believed I could become a certified dance teacher,” Toña said. Her family agreed to take her on the 22-hour drive to Eugene, Oregon and spend a month away from home supporting her dream.
Today, Toña is one of only two people in the state of New Mexico certified in DanceAbility. “Classes focus on improvisation and creative movement,” she explained. “The choreographies celebrate individuality and relationships, which reduces feelings of isolation and encourages dancers to feel empowered in their self-expression and personal growth.”
Toña and her dance partner Emmaly taught a five-day teacher training course in 2024. In 2023, they performed at New Mexico Disability Pride Day.
Toña knows firsthand just how impactful dance can be. “I am so happy when I am performing,” she explained. “It gives meaning to my day, and it feels like I don’t have a disability.”
Toña and Emmaly have been invited to perform at the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science conference, which will take place in Las Vegas in September 2025. It’s an opportunity to share their passion and expertise—but there’s a problem.
Without a wheelchair accessible van, Toña will be unable to make the trip.
Insurance refuses to cover the cost of an accessible van despite its life-changing impact and medical necessity. That’s why Toña and her community turned to the national nonprofit Help Hope Live to fundraise for the $45,000 out-of-pocket cost.
Toña will lose her SSI benefits if she has over $2,000 in “personal financial resources” at one time, which means saving money to rent a van for the trip could put her benefits in jeopardy. Because the fundraising nonprofit administers all funds raised, donations through the campaign won’t count against her savings or benefits.
Tax-deductible donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/23903/
Toña is also the founder and Executive Director of a unique nonprofit called the Every Ability Plays Project that purchases accessible playground equipment for use for children with disabilities. “I have to travel around the state for my work frequently, and that’s why I really need an accessible van of my own,” she explained.
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $188 million to pay patient expenses. ###
