18 May Precision Contractors Sponsors the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation Spring Gala
Precision Contractors takes pride in finding a wide range of ways to give back to our community. One of our favorite nonprofits to support is the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation (CHF).
The team at CHF offers several programs to help families who have a family member who has epilepsy or other seizure disorders. One of the primary dangers that families with epilepsy deal with is SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy). Chelsea began having seizures at the age of 11 and unexpectedly died in her sleep at age 16 after her first nighttime seizure.
Precision Contractors was the primary sponsor of the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation’s recent Beauty and the Beast fundraising gala. Precision team members and clients filled two tables for the event, and everyone had a great time participating in the silent auction and casino night.
The highlight of the evening was an original performance from The Silhouettes, a Colorado dance troupe that has appeared on the America’s Got Talent TV series. They created a beautiful showpiece dedicated to the memory of Chelsea and the mission of the foundation.
During the call for donations, Bob Hibbard, Precision’s CEO, guaranteed to match the first $10,000 donated to the event. Donations quickly passed the initial match goal and financial contributions for the evening set new records for the event.
The Mission of the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation
Chelsea’s family believes that if they had known more about the need to monitor her at night because of the dangers of SUDEP, their outcome could have been different.
The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation was founded to educate epilepsy families about the options available to them and help provide grants to get them the tools they need to care for their family members.
The main tools for mitigating SUDEP are seizure-response dogs and different types of electronic monitors. The problem is that these life-savings tools are rarely covered by insurance, so families are often not aware of these options or have trouble determining how to pay for them.
How a Dog Can Change Lives
One of the main projects the foundation works on is placing seizure-response dogs with patients.
These dogs can be a life-changing addition to families who have someone dealing with seizures. These dogs can be trained to turn a patient on their side, bark during an episode to alert others, get medications, brace falls, perform water rescues and more.
The financial contributions Precision makes to the foundation go toward training these amazing dogs. The total investment in each dog can be as much as $20,000, so Precision is proud to help remove the financial strain this investment could create and help place them with a family that needs their help.
A trained seizure-response dog can be a transformative addition to these families. Parents get the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have another set of eyes continually watching their child. The kids get the confidence to socially reengage because their new guardian is always looking out for them. For example, going to play at a neighbor’s house can be a big step because these kiddos never know when they may have a seizure, and many choose to stay home to feel safe. Getting a new seizure-response dog gives these kids the confidence to venture out and start exploring their world.
There are also several special monitors patients can use to help alert caregivers when a seizure is happening. In addition to real-time GPS alerts, these monitors and other products work with smart watches to record information for doctors to improve patient care.
We’re Going to Disneyland!
The other key program the foundation runs is Chelsea’s Wish. This wonderful project is a group trip to Disneyland for epilepsy families. Kids get to hang out with other kids who understand the difficulties that come with their conditions. Parents get to bond with other parents and share stories and ideas to manage their life as epilepsy families.
Families can learn more on the Chelsea’s Wish Facebook page and apply each May to receive a grant to get to go on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. The awards cover airfare, lodging, two days in the park, and two days at an epilepsy expo to learn more about all the resources available to epilepsy families.
If you are looking for a place to make a charitable donation, we’ve supported the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation for over five years and wholeheartedly endorse the work they are doing.