‘Unity in Community’ to benefit local families
Written by Caitlin McGlade | | news@toledofreepress.comCathy Lira didn’t know how she would manage to fill out the Christmas tree this year. Her illnesses have kept her from working since last winter and she spends most of her time taking care of her two developmentally disabled children: Reyes, 13 and Erica, 16.
Lira’s family is one of the eight selected for an upcoming benefit hosted by the events listing website Toledosnightout.com. The event, “Unity in Community,” will take place at Toledo’s Main Street Bar and Grill from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 18.
The benefit could change everything for Lira’s family this season.
“It would have been a lot of nothing,” Lira said. “The kids wouldn’t have had anything for Christmas.”
Now, her children get a cut of a large check and a 6 a.m. trip to the Monroe Street Toys ‘R’ Us to pick out toys.
Toledosnightout.com is collecting online donations, which is just the beginning of money the group expects to collect, said Stephanie Ruben, the website’s marketing director. Tickets for the benefit cost $10. The Facebook event page has more than 40 confirmed guests and about 140 who might attend.
The event will include karaoke and live bands. Door prizes and free appetizers will also be up for grabs, according to the website.
Toledosnightout.com is a new site that features information about night life and events in the area.
Diane Frazee, United Way of Greater Toledo’s director of Family Information Network of Northwest Ohio, said she was sent a list of families who needed help this season. When Ruben contacted her looking for families who have “hardship,” Frazee knew exactly what to do.
The families are not selected based on income level, however most have financial struggles because of endless medical bills and the “hidden costs that people don’t think about,” Frazee said.
There is no age limit — one of those selected is 40 years old.
Frazee has a 33-year-old daughter named Jamie who has a condition called cri de chat, or “cry of the cat,” an illness that weakens motor skills and other functions. Jamie is psychologically 2 years old, Frazee said.
Frazee knows how difficult it is to find people who want to help adults around the holidays because many often think first of young children.
“We have people with disabilities who are chronologically over the age of 12 but psychologically they are much younger,” Frazee said.
Ruben said she also plans to give gifts to the guardians.
“If you’re fortunate enough to help, let us come together to help these families,” she said.
