The Hackworth Family

An Amazing Donation

It was a typical Hoosier summer morning with white clouds dotting the sky and the promise of a hot day. However, this Monday morning in July was not business as usual. This was the day long awaited. This was the day Easton Hackworth and his family would receive the keys to an accessible van.

MDFF’s Executive Director, Hannah Oosterlinck, made the journey to Fort Wayne for this momentous occasion. It was the “handing of the keys” day – always one of the best days of the year. It was the embodiment of MDFF’s mission – helping Hoosier families by providing accessible vans, equipment or home modifications. Since MDFF serves the entire state, the “handing of the keys” was coordinated to occur at the Superior Van & Mobility location in Fort Wayne since it was the closest to the family.

Several weeks before this day, Hannah met with the donor of the accessible van to get the keys and exchange paperwork. While the donor wishes to remain anonymous, Hannah was so grateful to meet them and express our deep gratitude for their extremely generous donation. MDFF purchases at least one van each year to give to a Hoosier family living with muscular dystrophy who is in great need of accessible transportation. MDFF purchases gently used vehicles, and the cost ranges from $50,000 for a minivan size to over $65,000 for a transit van. This time, someone gave us a van so that we could pass it along to a family. They donated it to our organization for free. It was an incredible gift, and allowed MDFF to “pay it forward” for the Hackworth family. This donation allows us to help even more families with accessible transportation.

It was all joy as Hannah handed the keys to Easton’s Mother. The van was now theirs. Their transportation burden was eased. A breath of relief could be breathed.

Looking to donate an accessible vehicle? Reach out to us at info@mdff.org. Thank you!