In October, we joined forces with BraunAbility, the world’s leading manufacturer of automotive mobility products, to donate a wheelchair-accessible van to a deserving Massachusetts student and his family.

Chamberlain “Lain” MacDonald is a sophomore at Groton-Dunstable High School. He has always excelled academically, but is more known for his love of sports and his position as #49 on the football team.

Lain was also born with cerebral palsy. He’s had five surgeries to improve motor function, but remains quadriplegic and dependent on his wheelchair as the sole method of independent mobility.

Surrounded by friends and teammates, Lain and the MacDonald family were surprised with the keys to a brand new 2016 Dodge passenger side-entry wheelchair accessible van. The van was provided with the help of a local dealership, MobilityWorks and is hopefully going to change the game for the MacDonald family.

For this family of five – parents Charity and Kirk MacDonald along with Lain’s two younger sisters – finding reliable and safe transportation has been a constant worry, to put it mildly.

While many of us might take reliable transportation for granted, the MacDonalds have fought a uniquely frustrating daily battle just to keep their children active in athletic and extracurricular activities and to stay connected with family that is a long drive away. (Since Lain’s father has served in the US Army for the last 20 years, living close to family is not always an option.)

These details only paint part of the picture for the MacDonald family. But, we couldn’t imagine a more deserving family to receive a transportation upgrade!