MADDIE HARRISON
Support Maddie's partnership
A Buddy for Maddie
Maddie is our twelve year old daughter with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. She is non-verbal, and is unable to sit, stand, and walk on her own. She cannot take anything by mouth and is entirely G-tube fed. She spends hours upon hours outside of school in therapy (speech, OT, PT and vision). Despite these setbacks, however, Maddie is an outgoing, cheerful, sweet and resilient girl. As a family, we try to include her in everything we do. We are huge advocates for inclusion and it is our hope that she will be able to independently advocate for herself and her needs, to interact and participate in the community, be involved in meaningful friendships and relationships, and last, but certainly not the least, to maximize her full potential.
An assistance dog would open up so many possibilities for Maddie to communicate, engage with her environment, socialize with peers and draw comfort and reassurance during times of high anxiety, particularly during periods of transition or when left alone. Further, an assistance dog with medical alert training could potentially alert us when she is about to have a seizure and/or needs help with upper body repositioning, or has difficulty breathing. A brief experience we had fostering a service dog-in-training this spring totally changed the dynamics of our household, for the better. Such a dog would absolutely enrich the life of Maddie and for all those around her.
An assistance dog is the next obvious step in our quest to help Maddie feel fully included in the family and the community. We have dedicated so much of our lives to bringing her 'along for the ride', but an assistance dog would be the perfect companion to enjoy it all with her.
The prospect of a buddy for Maddie is exciting for all of us and along with the many benefits an assistance dog can bring to her life, there are significant expenses. Our target goal above reflects a portion of the expense incurred by EENP to raise, train and place an assistance dog. Thank you so much for your help and generosity. We truly appreciate it.
Stuart and Margarita
#TeamMaddie
#inclusion4all
"I would not change you for the world, but I will change the world for you."
In the News
Chapel Hill Magazine (2016): "Big Brother Becomes Hero When He Crosses Triathlon Finish Line with Sister in Tow"
When Maddie Harrison crossed the finish line at the JUST TRYAN IT triathlon – just ahead of her older brother, William – she got quite a bit of attention from some adoring fans.
[click to read more]Chapel Hill Magazine (2019): "Team Maddie continues to rally for a Lake Hogan Farms family"
On Valentine’s Day, Stuart Harrison and Margarita Escaler looped through the winding roads of their Lake Hogan community and saw that their neighbors – both friends and strangers – had pinned pink ribbons on their mailboxes in honor of the couple’s daughter, Maddie.
More than 180 families were rooting for Maddie to make it back home. And that night, she finally did.
[click to read more]
Pictures and Video
Campaign donors
Ana Cerdeno
One of the best decision we ever took was to have dogs in our family. A helper dog for Maddie, will not only be great for her, but I’m sure to you all as a family. I’m loving seeing … Read more
One of the best decision we ever took was to have dogs in our family. A helper dog for Maddie, will not only be great for her, but I’m sure to you all as a family. I’m loving seeing the photos you’re posting with Lilly & Maddie, keep them coming! X
Concetta Rand
Anonymous
janet vanhandel
Camille Genuino
Margaret Swingler
So glad to be able to contribute to such a happy event. We can’t wait to see Maddie and her new best friend around the neighborhood.
Stephanie Jones
Very touching message and especially like the final quote! Honoured to contribute to such a worthy cause.
Kathleen Thomas
The sky is the limit, Maddie! Here's to your next adventure!
Mary Glish
Yea for Maddie!
Lindsay Bedford
Anonymous
Margarita Escaler
I can’t wait for us to get a dog! Love, Emma
About Client Fundraising Donations
You can make a donation directly to EENP to support a home helpmate dog placement with Maddie Harrison using this donation form. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation sent immediately, but the donation total and your name and comments may take up to an hour to update on the site. Your donation made on this page will offset the placement and training fees that EENP will charge for Maddie's placement. We will let Maddie and her family know that you made a donation and will keep them updated on the total amount raised, but will not share the amount of individual donations with them.
The placement and training fees that EENP charges for our assistance dog placements cover less than half of the cost to raise, train, and place an assistance dog and then support the placement for the life of the partnership. If donations are received in excess of Maddie's placement fees, those donations will go toward EENP's general operations, supporting the full cost of our placements with Maddie and other clients.
Eyes Ears Nose and Paws is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, and donations to EENP are generally tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. However, please note that donations made in support of a placement for a particular individual are generally NOT tax-deductible, per IRS guidance (see IRS Publication 526, page 6, column 2, "Contributions to Individuals", second bullet). If tax deductibility is important to you, please speak with your tax professional before donating to be sure that your donation is made in a way that meets your tax requirements.
Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919-807-2000. The license is not an endorsement by the State.
