Who Is Able Advocates?
The Able Advocates nonprofit began as a group of mothers meeting up for the occasional lunch. At first, the only thing they had in common were their children – all of them with special needs. They shared their triumphs and their struggles with each other, especially when fighting with their insurance companies over the highly specialized equipment needed to give their children the quality of life they deserved.
Together, their lunch group transformed into an organization dedicated to helping other families who were in need. Just like children’s clothing, specialized wheelchairs and walkers are often outgrown and stuffed into closets when they become too small, even though they’re still in usable condition.
Able Advocates’ mission is to collect those pieces of specialized equipment and work with experts to update and refurbish them. Everything from specialized chairs, desks, walkers and standers are distributed to children as young as six months old. Families who benefit from Able Advocates’ equipment collection might otherwise go without these vital tools.
The nonprofit also connects families with local support groups, resources and services specific to each individual family’s needs. They offer assistance with navigating insurance companies, hospitals, doctors, equipment companies, schools and even the general public.
Over the last several years, Able Advocates has collected in excess of $400,000 in equipment and redistributed it to more than 2,000 families to help them meet their needs. In 2016, Able Advocates donated a wheelchair accessible swing to Inspiration Park, an 8-acre park filled with accessible structures and playground equipment. At the time the swing was the only one in all of Fresno, CA.
Tabrizi Productions Helps Share Nonprofit Able Advocates’ Story on Video
Tabrizi Productions sat down with the president of Able Advocates, Katrina Oh, to capture her story on video. Over the course of an afternoon we talked about the extremely challenging journey she has traveled with her son – his diagnosis, the never-ending battle with insurance, and the support she found with other mothers of special needs children that ultimately led to the creation of the nonprofit Able Advocates.
Combined with interviews from other special needs families and supporters of Able Advocates, Tabrizi Productions shot and produced a seven-minute feature video about the organization’s history and mission that was ideal for education, fundraising and soliciting donations of equipment.
Tabrizi Productions also produced a shorter video production featuring Oh and other parents, condemning a ten percent cut to California’s Medicare program, Medi-Cal and calling for it to be reversed. The cut threatened to eliminate the vendor that provides specialized walkers and wheelchairs, forcing parents to pay for them entirely out of pocket.
Fortunately the cut was reversed when AB 1805 was approved in 2014, and immediately put into effect.
What Can Tabrizi Productions Do For Your Nonprofit?
Let Tabrizi Productions help you tell your story, whether you’re a nonprofit or not. Whether you’re just getting started, celebrating a milestone, or gearing up for a capital campaign, Tabrizi Productions will work with you from start to finish to capture your passion.
