V.I. residents this Friday will be able to help raise $5,000 for the Therapy Association and Disability Advocates (TADA) through McDonald’s "McHappy Day" campaign.
TADA is made up of local physical, occupational and speech therapists working at the hospital or in various agencies and private practices on St. Thomas. While the therapists work with patients out of the hospital recovering from strokes or replacement surgeries, their main focus is on individuals with disabilities, including children with cerebral palsy and autism.
On the poster for this year’s "McHappy Day" campaign is 2-year-old Derrian Huggins Jr., a spina bifida patient who has also received assistance from TADA. At a press conference held Monday at the Lockhart Garden McDonald’s, Huggins’ mother, Delease Smith, said Derrian works with the organization Monday through Friday learning such things as standing and talking.
"He started at about a month old and has really come a long way since then," she said.
Getting money for equipment for children with special needs, such as specialized wheelchairs that families without insurance or medical assistance might not be able to afford, is TADA’s goal. The organization is also hoping to build a public playground in the next year that is handicapped accessible.
"We have all these beautiful playgrounds, but a lot of them are not supportive of children with disabilities," said Lisa Parfitt, an occupational therapist with TADA. "You can’t go and put a 7-year-old who’s in a wheelchair on the swings, for example. So, it’s important for us to get this project done."
Parfitt said TADA is looking to partner with the government on the project but will work with EDC companies and private businesses to raise the funds if it doesn’t work out.
All McDonald’s throughout the territory will feature various activities on Friday to promote contributions from the public in support of TADA’s cause. Paper hands on display in the restaurants can be purchased for $1 and TADA will also receive all proceeds from the sale of Big Macs, according to Sharin Jennings, Marketing Manager for McDonald’s USVI.
Jennings said the "McHappy Day" campaign is held annually and raised $4,000 last year.
