As friends of the Sweetman's it's our hope to fully fund a specialized caregiver for up to twelve hours a week — every week of the year. This fundraiser represents level one of the Sweetman's financial needs. 

We can all help in two ways by *contributing* AND *sharing* this fundraiser to support their family and give Finley the help she needs. (Please be sure to review the sharing section below for specific ideas).

Providing constant care for Finley is beyond any one person or one family. Burnout, exhaustion, and isolation are major concerns when taking care of a child with Quadriplegia Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Without having family close by, and dealing with an understandable knowledge gap with regular childcare, the Sweetman's have a big need to get frequent and more specialized help. Find out more here about Finley's full diagnosis.

Finley's family can find the ongoing help they need — but only with our financial support. Plus, anything over and above the goal can go towards level two and three of Finley's needs.

CHRISTMAS GIFT OPTIONS

$25 will cover one hour of caregiver help.

$75 will cover three hours of caregiver help.

$150 will cover one day of caregiver help (six hours).

$300 will cover a week of caregiver help (two days a week is the goal).

$1,200 will cover four weeks of caregiver help.

$3,900 will cover thirteen weeks (roughly three months) of caregiver help.

$7,800 will cover twenty-six weeks (roughly six months) of caregiver help.

$15,600 will cover all fifty-two weeks of 2019.

The Sweetmans overall financial needs can be broken down into three levels...

LEVEL ONE: Caregiver costs for 2019 calculated at $15,600 (this fundraiser)

LEVEL TWO: A two-story three-level externally enclosed elevator estimated around $40,000+. Find out more details here.

LEVEL THREE: The difference of a handicap vehicle (compared to a used vehicle they would normally buy) estimated around $30,000+. Something like this.

Gifts which surpass this “level one” fundraiser can be applied to level two and three. If international contributors have trouble sending Christmas gifts, please send through PayPal.com account: [email protected]

If you are unable to give right now, or you want to give more later on, there is information at the bottom of the page to contribute directly to Finley's ABLE account.

SHARING OPTIONS

Follow: Please follow on social media channels so you can comment, like, and share when you see updates: Instagram.com/finleyshouse, Twitter.com/finleyshouse, and Facebook.com/finleyshouse

Share on your Social Media: Sharing the video will be the simplest and most impacting way to spread the word. At the very least make sure to use a photo of Finley from this campaign page. Try a post like this: “Help a sweet four year old with Cerebral Palsy this Christmas. Donate & share: finleyshouse.com” Light up your feed! Consider 3-4 posts throughout the Christmas season to keep this in front of people. Repetition is powerful.

Blog / YouTube Channel: If you have, or know anyone with a blog, a YouTube channel, or even an email newsletter, why not ask for a favor and see if they will mention or link to Finley's fundraiser?

Biz/Org Funds: Whether you are a business owner, an employee, or a customer/client, if a business or organization you are familiar with sometimes designates funds for special causes, why not request a percentage of the funds to go towards Finley? Even if it's not typical, why not ask if they would consider it? For example: retail orgs could ask customers to donate a dollar to Finley upon checkout. What other ideas have you seen?

Personal Email: Don't be shy about personally casting a wide net on the Sweetman's behalf and reaching out to your family and friends over email. Suggest you include photos and the video if possible. BCC might be best. Suggested subject line: What's your Christmas cause? Consider Finley…

Text Message: If you have two or three friends or family who aren't on social media, but care about this type of need, why not send them a personalized text message and ask them to help? Let them know what this campaign means to you. 

Christmas cards/letters: If you plan to send out a Christmas card/letter, please consider giving Finley a paragraph or a PS. Include a photo if you can.

Announcement/Message Board: If you have an appropriate opportunity through work, an organization, or public space, please shine some light on Finley and ask people who don't yet have a Christmas cause to help her.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this fundraiser page. Please contact Rachel Peterson at [email protected] if you have any questions or difficulties contributing.

Merry Christmas from Finley's friends Rachel, Abby, and Andy

P.S. Beyond Christmas... Finley has a special ABLE account that holds funds for needs related to her disability. Contributions grow tax free and should not affect other benefits she receives, unless the account balance exceeds $100,000 (unlikely!). This is the best way to give to Finley in the future beyond this Christmas caregiver campaign. In fact, the proceeds from this Christmas fundraiser will go directly into this ABLE account. If you ever want to make a contribution simply go to UgiftABLE.com and give directly from a US bank account using the code: X08-E1G (Note: that second character is a zero, not the letter O). Finley's name should appear to confirm that you have entered the correct code. International contributions without a US bank account can give to PayPal.com account: [email protected]. Big blessings to any and all who may participate!

P.P.S Take a look at the Sweetman Family Photo Shoot here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/X6wxyA7QCRMTMyRS6