Summary
This year Associated Food Stores and Swire Coca-Cola® are partnering once again to raise funds for Shriners Children’s through a round-up opportunity at the register.
The campaign will be held from Monday, October 21 through Tuesday, November 5 at participating Associated Food Store locations.
Swire Coca-Cola and Associated Food Stores are also proud to donate $20,000 in addition to the funds raised through the round-up campaign.
In the Fall of 2023, Associated Food Stores and Swire Coca-Cola® partnered also raised funds for Shriners Children’s™ through a register campaign. Representatives from Associated Food Stores and Swire Coca-Cola® visited the Salt Lake City Shriners Children’s location to present a check for $25,781.50 and distribute Coca-Cola® polar bears to patients. The funds raised help Shriners Children’s to continue to provide the Most Amazing Care Anywhere, regardless of the families’ ability to pay, allowing them to say “Yes” when others say “No,” providing high quality care, advanced procedures, innovative physicians, leaders in research and wrap-around care.
Willow is seven years old and has been coming to Shriners Children’s Salt Lake City for just over four years.
She has a condition called Niemann-Pick Type C, which is a rare lysosomal storage disorder disease. Willow’s mom, Krystal, often refers to it as the childhood version of Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s rolled into one because that’s easier for people to understand.
When Willow comes up to Shriners, Krystal said they love the feeling of the facility, and that the doctors make them feel more included and like family.
“There was a willingness to help when we didn’t have a lot of support and a lot of answers early in her diagnosis,” Krystal said. And at a time when Willow was regressing quickly, Krystal added “Everybody here was very willing to help us get what we needed as quickly as we needed it.”
Willow is one of the happiest kids you’ll ever meet – and she’s loving life!
Krystal shared that the Shriners Children’s SLC team has done so much for Willow. Dr. Kristen Carroll has played a vital role in helping them understand Willow’s disease and how it can affect different parts of her body, including her spine and her hips. “Getting us connected with comprehensive care and meeting with different specialists that that are all here at Shriners makes it easy for us,” Krystal added.
One of the other most impactful parts about Willow’s journey at Shriners so far is the help she’s received from the Wheelchair and Seating team. Shriners Children’s has been able to help provide different mobility devices as her disease has progressed. Krystal added, “Shriners has been very quick to get us what we need. It’s been life-changing for Willow.”
