At our first meeting in February, the CP Rotary Club was invited to visit Mary Free Bed located in downtown Grand Rapids. Our Rotary Club made a $2500 donation to MFB Pediatric Feeding Program for children with difficulties eating, drinking, chewing or swallowing due to illness, disease, or sickness. We will also receive a district matching grant for an additional $2500 making our total donation $5,000.00. We were able to have lunch and listen to a presentation by Lydia Bekius on how the money is being used. Lydia is an Outpatient Pediatric Feeding Dietitian in Nutrition Services. No child is turned away due to the family’s inability to pay.
Jocelyn Dettloff, Major Gifts Director, also spoke to us about MFB. She is originally from Kalamazoo MI, she first got to know Mary Free Bed 26 years ago. While vacationing in South Africa and surfing the Dunes, she had a horrific accident, and severed her spinal cord. After receiving care in South Africa, she came to MFB letting them know that prior to the trip she had plans to move out of her parents home and live on her own, and she said those plans had not changed. She wanted her independence and with the help of MFB she achieved that goal. Although she uses a wheel chair, she is independent. About 11 years ago she came back to work for the place that gave her life back. Impactful!