The unexpected generosity of a man from Pennsylvania has changed the lives of a local family.
It all started when Mary Timmons entered a contest in order to win a new handicapped van.
“I have a daughter with cerebral palsy and epilepsy,” said Timmons. “She is wheelchair bound and doesn’t get to get out very often.”
Obtaining a new vehicle ignited a sense of hope in Timmons that she could show her daughter more of the world.
“I didn’t make it to the finals, which was OK with me because I knew that someone else that needed it would get it,” she said. “About a week after the contest, Eric Henry contacted me via Facebook.”
Henry owns an ambulance service — Meadville Ambulance Services — that also has a fleet of non-emergency transportation vehicles. He offered to donate one of the company vans to the Timmons family.
“He said this would be the second van the company has donated,” Timmons said. “Eric said he felt compelled to contact me.”
Henry, with the help of Meghan Fisher, drove the van 8 hours from Meadville, Penn.
“We met at the tag agency and started all the transfers to my name,” she said. “I can’t tell you how thankful my family is to get this van.”