Connie’s Crafts and HopeVida x ALTSO.
Helping CoolKids walk & roll towards a brighter future.
“We believe that opportunity and dignity should never depend on where someone is born or the circumstances they face. Through this fundraiser, we hope to remind others that compassion has no boundaries, and that together we can help give children the freedom, independence, and future they deserve.
Connie's Crafts was founded on the idea that small acts of care—whether bringing creativity and companionship to seniors through craft classes or helping children gain mobility through prosthetic limbs can transform lives. Supporting ALTSO allows us to extend our mission beyond our local community and stand with families around the world who simply want their own children to live with confidence and have the same opportunities other kids have.” - Constance Baquiran
About ALTSO.
ALTSO provides free prosthetic limbs, orthotic braces, appropriately fitted wheelchairs, and continuous care to CoolKids ages 1 day - 25 years. We help CoolKids walk & roll in emerging countries where the need for orthopedic care - due to traffic accidents, congenital disabilities, and poverty - is tremendous, yet underserved. Mobility is the difference between a child contributing to their community or living in isolation, feeling confident or self-conscious, chasing their dreams or begging for money. Since 2003, ALTSO has served over 26,000 CoolKids. Mobility is more than movement - it’s a human right.
About Connie’s Crafts.
Connie's Crafts is a charity that donates free craft supplies and classes around the New York City Metropolitan Area to senior citizen homes. One in three people aged 50-80 experience loneliness; Our mission is to combat the senior loneliness epidemic. By providing stimulating activities such as arts and crafts, we provide light in many people's lives. They are so excited to see us as we are to see them. We had the idea of doing something special this year with our friends from different assisted living center homes that would not only benefit them but would help other global communities. That is when we found ALTSO and dedicated many of our crafts to be sold in collaboration with them. By selling crafts made by our seniors and your help, we can aim to make the word a better place. With different communities helping each other, we can make a difference that can change one's life.
About HopeVida.
Donna Kim is the founder of a nonprofit called HopeVida, where she creates hygiene and first-aid kits to be donated to underserved communities in Guatemala. Donna traveled there in June 2024, and will be returning this upcoming June to continue this work. Through this experience, Donna has seen how access to basic care and mobility support can completely change a child’s quality of life and independence. This is why she cares deeply about supporting organizations like ALTSO, which provide life-changing mobility solutions for children in developing countries. Donna has also volunteered with her father at Keep Children Moving/Proactive in New York, where physical and occupational therapists work with students who have mobility and speech challenges. This experience has given her a strong interest in mobility and speech therapy and the importance of access to proper care.
