Rampin' it up! Zoe's Race raises funds to help people eliminate obstacles.
I think about how to inspire my clients all the time, especially as I listen to public radio in the car. The other morning I was completely inspired by a story on VPR about Zoe’s Race.
I recognized the voice of the interviewee: Erika Nestor. She’s a powerhouse and a mom and a runner. Her daughter, Zoe, had a terrible accident 6 years ago that confined her to a wheelchair. Zoe was a little girl who could be easily lifted and carried as necessary. But time happens and she grew.
When Erika needed to refit her home for accessibility, she discovered that there were no existing funds or programs to support this kind of lifestyle improvement for disabled people. Medical insurance pays for drugs and psychotherapy, but not for ramps and renovations – the kinds of things that eliminate obstacles and improve quality of life.
Erika needed to change that by creating a fund to assist families with remodeling costs related to accessibility, hence Zoe’s Race. Erika loves to run: Zoe’s Race raised $20,000 last year. This year’s run is Sunday August 29th, at Oakledge Park in Burlington, Vermont. It’s not too late to sign up.
Erika is an inspiration. At Daylight Websites, we try to build ramps, too. We try to improve accessibility. And my partner and I do what we love to do. He embodies WordPress’s motto “Code is Poetry”; and I love to write. We both love to work with people.
Part of our mission is to empower small businesses to make their way in the online marketplace. Our goal does not quite reach the shining example Erika sets with Zoe’s Race, but if we empower just one person to make his living doing his dream job (and isn’t this the essence of small business?), I think we’re gettin’ somewhere.
