Emily Progin, Content Manager
[email protected] / 800.642.8399
Release: Immediate
$9,800 RAISED TO HELP PEDESTRIAN PARALYZED BY SPEEDING CAR
Aftermath: 24-Year-Old Callie Aceto Struck by Car on September 26
ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt.—On September 26, 2025, Callie Aceto was walking home from a work shift at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington when a speeding car jumped the sidewalk and struck her from behind. Callie sustained permanent spinal cord damage and is now living with paralysis.
The community is rallying to provide help and hope with a fundraising campaign through the nonprofit Help Hope Live. $9,800+ has been raised so far less than 1 week. Donations are tax deductible at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/26405/
A University of Wisconsin Whitewater grad, Callie works for the Flynn Theatre as well as the Vermont Lake Monsters baseball team. She loves hiking, baking, concerts, travel, watching women’s soccer, and cheering on the Bruins and the Blackhawks.
Described as “kind, thoughtful, and deeply loving,” the 24-year-old is now facing a long and grueling rehabilitation process as she learns to live with paralysis.
That rehab process and lifelong spinal cord injury care will rely on countless expenses not fully covered by insurance. That’s why her community has turned to Help Hope Live, a trusted national nonprofit, for medical fundraising.
Callie was referred to Help Hope Live for fundraising from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The campaign has set a goal of $250,000 to cover medical expenses, rehabilitation, and specialized equipment for paralysis. Her community has already raised over $9,800 in just days to meet her most immediate needs.
Unlike a GoFundMe campaign, donations to Help Hope Live are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be administered 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 $193 million to pay patient expenses, assisting more than 25,000 patient families. ###
