Helping kids find
their voice through
assistive communication technology.
Our
Mission
The "Find a Voice"
Fund exists
to honor the memory of our precious daughter, Elli, who died October 19,
2008 at the age of eight. Though cerebral palsy prevented her from ever
being able to
speak, Elli was able to break the silence with the help of assistive communication technology that, sadly, is often not covered by
health insurance plans. Elli found her voice. Our
mission is to give other children like her the same opportunity to find theirs.
Support the Fund
Your financial donation will go directly
into a fund that is used to purchase assistive
communication devices for children like Sebastian in the video below, who are unable to speak on
their own. Donate
Now
About Elli Bennett
Elli was born on February
26, 2000, with a rare congenital heart defect (truncus
arteriosus) that went undiscovered until she was 3 days old. At 4
days old, while in the newborn intensive care unit, Elli's heart stopped for
several minutes.
Although she survived the
initial crisis, Elli suffered permanent brain damage and a life-long battle
with seizures and severe cerebral palsy. In addition to the 4 open heart
surgeries she underwent in her lifetime, oral developmental skills like eating
and drinking took many years to learn. And although she could laugh and cry, Elli
was never able
to formulate words with her mouth.
At
3 years old, Elli was identified as a strong candidate for a high-tech computerized communication
device that was not covered on our health insurance plan. With the
assistance of the
Aaron W. Perlman Center at
Cincinnati
Children's, we were able to uncover the thousands of assistance
dollars required to purchase the device for her. With a programmable touch
screen that allowed Elli to convey words, phrases and sentences to express
her specific needs, preferences and feelings, the device changed her life
completely.
When Elli passed away, we asked friends and
family to donate to the Perlman Center in her memory, as an expression of
our gratitude to the Perlman Center for all they did for her. Those generous
donations marked the birth of the "Find a Voice" Fund, which continues to
grow today through regular fundraising activities and ongoing donations.
