POKER FOR PAWS
May 1, 2021 6:00pm Peoria, AZ THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED OUR FIRST POKER TOURNAMENT!!! |
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Donate to Help Levi
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Levi is a very determined boy
that has had to overcome so much in his life. Levi came to our home at 12 months old after having been removed from an unsafe situation with his biological family and placed in foster care. Levi became part of our forever family through the blessing of adoption on March 4th 2015. Levi had to be so brave during this time and he still is every day. Levi has had his share of medical problems, severe tongue tie, Marcus Gunn Jaw Wink Ptosis of his left eye, low tone and allergic to all kinds of foods & pretty much everything outside. In December of 2016 Levi was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder II. Levi had always needed help but we finally had a name and better direction of how to help our son. His autism has made it difficult for him to learn to speak, express emotion, trust new people, make eye contact with us, handle transitions or ask for what he needs. He was unable to communicate with us and did start to learn some sign language when he was 2yrs old but didn’t speak until he was 3. He has always worked so hard to learn all of the things that are generally much easier for most kids. Levi is a tenacious boy that has faced his challenges every day of his life and has come along so well despite those challenges. Levi never liked being around other children when he was little and only hung out with our immediate family. We wanted to go to a neighborhood group, with children, to help him make friends but he would just scream and melt down. We then decided to host a group in our home so he would be more comfortable. God has blessed our family with several friendships for Levi that came from that group. The families that we met were amazing and stuck with us for 10 months until Levi finally decided that the kids were ok to play with. Those friends are still in our lives today and we know he would not be the same without them. He also loves football and after 8 seasons of his Dad coaching his football team he really enjoys his team mates on The Sharks. Levi is a great big brother and budding musician as he loves to play his drums and guitar. Levi loves animals and is in a therapeutic horse riding class every week. We have seen the affect animals have on him. He is able to trust people more quickly and he feels confident when he is riding horses or he is around our family dog Bella. Animals comfort Levi in stressful situations. He feels a great deal of anxiety and stress in social situations, family gatherings, school, sports, and having any new person around. Levi has also received a diagnosis of ADHD which makes it hard for him to settle his body. Animals are very grounding for Levi and help him calm his body. An autism service dog would help Levi by giving him the ability to be more independent and not feel scared or stressed all the time. Levi is a lovable boy who can do anything he puts his mind too. We want to give him every opportunity to feel supported to live with more ease and we know a service dog would do that for him. |
