Two best friends and their families have made it their mission to make the Okotoks community more accessible. 

Gabbi Wildeman and Bentlee Alwood, third-grade students at Dr. Morris Gibson School, met in Kindergarten and have been two peas in a pod ever since. 

Bentlee was diagnosed with a condition called 'Rett Syndrome' when she was a baby, and has required the use of a wheelchair for several years.

Gabbi's dad, Blake Wildeman, says their friendship is inspiring. 

"Gabbi just sees Bentlee, she doesn't see Bentlee's challenges on a daily basis she doesn't see that Bentlee's in a chair, she just sees Bentlee. And as a parent it's really quite heartwarming and refreshing that kids are just kids, they don't see some of these things, they just see the person."

Rett Syndrome is a rare genetic neurological condition that occurs almost exclusively in girls (1 in 10,000), affecting their ability to walk, eat, speak and even breathe easily, Wildeman says "it's not something you hear of every day, it's not as common or as acknowledged as some of the other conditions out there but it's just as debilitating." 

To ensure that all of their classmates are included in the fun, the girls, along with some other DMG students, have voiced their dream of adding a wheelchair-accessible swing to their school's already inclusive playground.

Bentlee's mother, Cheryl Alwood, says this addition would bring such joy to her daughter and so many other kids.

"What better thing to do, than to see, especially a child that can't say a word... but you can totally see it when they're on that swing how happy they are, and yet they don't even speak a word to tell you how happy they are, there's nothing...nothing more precious than that."

After approaching family members and friends who wanted to help, the Wildemans and Alwoods decided to post a video of the girls announcing that they were starting a bottle drive to help get closer to their swing goal of $12,500.

Since the video was posted earlier this month with a Bottle Drive date of March 20th, Wildeman says they have been stunned by how much support they've already received.

"The support has been absolutely incredible, I liken it to a snowball going down a hill, we've been completely overwhelmed, and the sense of pride and the community spirit that's been shown in our communities...and not just our communities we have folks in High River, Black Diamond, an e-transfer came through from Australia, it's hit the city of Calgary. So I'm picking up bottles as I go home from work each day and the bottle drive hasn't even started yet which is the crazy part."

Alwood adds that as a family they've received so much support throughout Bentlee's journey and they just want to do what they can to show the love back.

"We have been so fortunate as a family. We have had a lot of friends and family who have helped us along the way and so now we just want to pay it back, we would love to pay it back. People say Cheryl why would you want to do that? Bentlee's only going to be in that school for three years but really it's not about Bentlee, it's about all the other children that will be behind her, and wouldn't it be awesome to say little miss Bentlee Rain and Gabbi made that happen."

If you would like to help make these DMG's students and their families wheel-chair accessible swing dream a reality they will be hosting a bottle drive from 10 am - 2 pm on Saturday, March 20th at the parking lot across from Seaman Stadium by the soccer fields. 

If they surpass their goal, they plan on donating the rest of the funds to the school to go towards rubber mats that make accessing the play structure easier for residents in wheelchairs.

Any funds after that will be donated to the research of reversing the effect of Rett Syndrome.

For more details on the bottle drive click here. 

 

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