09/05/2025
Homecoming Help Needed!
We’re beyond excited to be heading home soon, but there’s a lot to do! We’re reaching out to see if anyone can lend a hand with a few tasks around the house. If you're available, or if you know of any local churches looking for service projects, we would truly appreciate the support. PM me. Here’s what we need help with:
Tasks Around the House:
Painting: We need help with painting the bathroom and bedroom, as well as Jackson's equipment room (which we’re converting from a theater room to equipment room).
Wallpaper Removal: Both the bathroom and the theater room (which will house Jackson’s equipment) need wallpaper removed.
Flooring: We need to remove the current flooring in Jackson’s room and equipment room and lay down new flooring.
Dirt Fill & Landscaping: We need a load of black dirt or similar filler for where we’ve put in a new sidewalk leading to the basement for Jackson’s wheelchair. Any plants or bushes to line the sidewalk would be a huge bonus!
Fascia Repair: Some fascia came off during a storm this summer and needs to be put back up.
Gutter Cleaning: Our gutters have become quite overgrown—definitely need a good cleanout!
Tech Setup: Jackson has a bunch of Alexa smart home devices, locks, and more. We could use some tech-savvy help setting these up around the house.
Electrical Help: We need help installing a smart fan and addressing some light/fan issues in Jackson’s room, as he can’t regulate his own temperature due to his spinal cord injury.
Bathroom Accessibility: We’re also working on making our bathroom handicap accessible.
Things We’re Looking For:
Unfortunately, a lot of the things we need aren’t covered by insurance, and it’s been a bit overwhelming. So if anyone has any of the following items (or leads on where we might find them at a reasonable price), we’d be forever grateful:
FlexiBed (Full/Queen/King size): These raise and lower like a hospital bed but look and feel like a regular bed. They also have handrails, which Jackson needs.
Jazzy Small Foldable Electric Wheelchair: Jackson’s primary wheelchair likely won’t be ready in time for his return to school, and we need a backup electric chair to help him get around so, he can go to school.
Bathroom & Shower Chairs: Any spare or used bathroom or shower chairs would help.
Platform Walker with extension kit
Tall Transit Van: We’re looking for a high-roof transit van (e.g., Promaster or high-roof Transit) to accommodate Jackson's wheelchair. The van needs to be at least 63" of head clearance. We’ve found options that are quite expensive ($100k+), and we’re hoping to find something more affordable. We looked at regular vans he would get a pressure sore if tilted on his back.
A Little Background:
We’re currently not eligible for certain grants or waivers because Jackson isn’t in Minnesota, even though we’re residents. The programs require him to be evaluated in Minnesota, but we couldn’t find a hospital in-state that could provide care for his specific needs. It’s been frustrating, and that’s why we’re turning to the community for help. A lot of people have suggested doing these grants or waivers we just arent eligible.
If you know of anyone who can help, or if you have any of the items we need, please let us know. Every bit of help means the world to us as we make our way back home. Thank you so much!
https://linktr.ee/jacksondrum
