What do you do when you know that your health isn’t improving, there’s something that you have been longing to do for what seems like most of your life, but you just don’t know how to make that happen? Well, you have your Service and Support SSA complete a Friends, Allies, and Neighbors (FAN) Network request. That’s what you do.
Meet Bronson Williams who is always surrounded by stuffed animal sloths. During a visit with his SSA Teresa Boraggina, Bronson mentioned that his “bucket list wish” is to pet a sloth at Indian Creek Zoo. They offer a sloth experience that allows the lucky person to pet, feed, and spend time in an open cage with a sloth. However, the price tag for this experience is more than Bronson’s budget allows, since there’s the price of entering the zoo plus the cost of the experience, per person. So being the amazing SSA that Teresa is, she completed a FAN Network request.
The FAN Network, led by Lucas DD Community Connections Trainer Rebecca Thieman with help from Community Connections Trainer Sue Osenbaugh, made his wish come true! His family was given entrance tickets to the zoo for Bronson, his mom, his dad and his sister, plus one sloth experience for Bronson and his mom. Bronson and his family were gifted the zoo tickets and the sloth experience package by Indian Creek Zoo. The visit provided an unforgettable time together and memories that will last forever. Back in 2017, Bronson’s mom was told that Bronson would only live for 5 more years. 6 years later, each day with him is a blessing.
The FAN Network is grateful to the Indian Creek Zoo for allowing this wonderful family to enjoy a spectacular day together and for all the carrots everyone fed to all the animals.
Photos by Rebecca Thieman
