The Shrine Club of Western Carolina brings Christmas Joy to a Cherokee County child who requires intensive round-the-clock medical care.
In 2019 the Shrine Club, led by Roy Dickey, raised $20,000 to purchase a Tobii Dynavox Eye Gaze computer, which was needed so that the teen could have a better, “more real,” and happier high school experience.
On Nov. 29, Shriners Roy Dickey and Gary “Hippie” Westmoreland visited the Department of Social Services to hand deliver a new donation of $7,097.16 from the Shrine Club of Western North Carolina to cover computer upgrades and additional needs that would not otherwise be met.
“This is an extraordinary gift,” DSS Director Amanda McGee said.
People all over the globe have experienced loneliness and isolation during the pandemic, but when a person cannot freely travel, to school, the grocery store, church, clubs, etc., the loneliness can be unbearable.
The Shriners have exponentially increased this young adult’s quality of life, joy and happiness because the Tobii Eye gaze allows you to type with your eyes, so you can interact in live mode with classmates, school clubs and pen pals.
In addition to typing, the Tobii Eye Gaze computer allows you to make and receive phone calls, utilize computer applications and utilize social media to connect to family, friends, and support groups, all with eye movement.
It is impossible to calculate all of the ways the Tobii Eye Gaze computer has changed this child’s life. The new donation of $7,000 will allow them to purchase the computer upgrades, and other new learning technology.
This amazing young adult plans to graduate from high school, go to college and become a teacher for children who have disabilities that make it impossible to attend in-person classes.
Dicky said, “The Shriners have a special love for children with disabilities, and we are committed to this child having what she needs to have a meaningful and fulfilled life.”
In the young adult’s own words, “I may not be able to write, but I have a story to tell.”
“The Western North Carolina Shrine Club and the generosity of the people in Cherokee County have given this young adult exciting and endless opportunities for a much brighter future,” McGee said.