Mike Slama was on a mission to buy his nephew an accessible vehicle. Mike lives here in California, but his nephew, Matt, lives in

Maui. Matt was born with Muscular Dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair at the age of 8. He has been without transportation for 18 years… until Mike found us!

Matt had heard about the Local Heroes Contest through NMEDA and entered to win. Unfortunately, there were only 3 winners in the nation and Matt was not one of them. That’s when Mike decided it was up to him to get Matt a vehicle. He started a fundraising website and set a goal of $25,000. Then he went to friends and family, and asked them to donate. Then Mike called us. We were able to find a used van that was in fantastic shape that met his needs. Through generous contributions and a lot of love, Mike was able to raise most of the money.

On September 1st, the van shipped to Maui! Mike and his wife flew out to meet it and, on Matt’s 26th birthday, they handed over the keys. Mike describes that moment as, “one of the greatest moments in our lives. We were able to change Matt’s and Kathy’s lives for the better. The total loss of words by Matt and the emotional reaction from Kathy were priceless.” The whole family was able to travel together in the same car for the first time ever. Matthew found the freedom he has not been able to enjoy for a very long time. We couldn’t be happier!