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GRAND RAPIDS - Johnnie Tuitel has joined the board of Family Hope Foundation.

Johnnie Tuitel is an award winning children’s author, motivational speaker and the founder of the charity Alternatives in Motion in 1995, which provides wheelchairs to the uninsured.  Alternatives in Motion was founded when Johnnie faced the need for a wheelchair while trying to improve his own mobility.  Johnnie was the first student with a disability to be legally mainstreamed in the state of Michigan.  He uses his life experiences to teach diversity and “disability awareness”.  Tuitel says, “I am thrilled to be a part of West Michigan’s Family Hope Foundation.  Having cerebral palsy, I understand the importance of alternative funding sources for specific therapies and treatments for children with disabilities.  It is an honor to serve the families we will help with the foundation’s resources.”

Family Hope Foundation is composed of 16 board members from the West Michigan community who are committed to providing support to children with special needs and their families.  The foundation is currently reviewing applications for its first cycle of grants to help families pay for therapy that insurance won’t cover for their child with special needs.  These therapies are necessary for their bodies and brains to grow and develop, to function and cope with the world around them and to reach their fullest potential.  Family Hope Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, will fund grants through donor gifts and foundation grants. 

“We are so excited to have Johnnie join our Board of Directors,” says Lara Kitts, Chair of Family Hope Foundation.  “He is such an inspiration and really embodies the hope that we want to bring back to families who are struggling to find resources and support.”

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• family hope foundation
• grand rapids
• johnie tuitel