Help Hope Live: Medical Fundraising to Support Students
Annie Tulkin, sat down with Sonny Mullen, Director of Outreach for Help Hope Live.
Help Hope Live supports medical need fundraising. Annie supports a number of students who have a hard time financing their needs for durable medical equipment, assistive technology, personal care attendants, and more. After meeting Sonny at a Reeve Foundation Summit and learning about Help Hope Live, Annie saw this as a potentially valuable resource for the students and families she supports.
It’s important for students and families to know that Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) are not paid for by the college. The student will have to hire and manage their own PCAs. Depending on the situation, families might use Medicaid, Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), or other state and federal programs to pay for a PCA. However, the allotted hours may not always cover the students needs, or there may be a need for supplemental funds to pay for a PCA. If the student receives benefits, they are generally income dependent, so traditional fundraising options are not ideal because funds are transferred to the person and can impact benefits. Because Help Hope Live is a 501(c)(3) (non-profit) and can pay providers/vendors directly, there are advantages.
Students and families may also have to purchase equipment for the student like assistive technology, mobility devices (scooters, wheelchairs, etc), hoyer lifts, and other medical equipment for the residence hall. Colleges typically do not provide durable medical equipment. Personal insurance and benefits programs may or may not cover the cost of these items. This is another example of an area where the student may want to raise funds to support their needs.
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