To Enrich Lives

The Ms Wheelchair Minnesota 2015 Pageant will be held Thursday, March 26th at Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, Minnesota.

The event starts at 6 p.m. with a silent auction/cocktail hour; followed by the program and crowning of Ms Wheelchair Minnesota 2015 at 7 p.m.

The mission of Ms. Wheelchair America/ Minnesota is to provide an opportunity of achievement for women who happen to be wheelchair users to successfully educate and advocate for the more than 54 million Americans living with disabilities. Unlike traditional beauty pageants, Ms. Wheelchair America is not a contest to select the most attractive individual. It is instead a competition based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for persons with disabilities. The selected representative must be able to communicate both the needs and the accomplishments of her constituency to the general public, the business community and the legislature.

The Master of Ceremonies is Matt Cherico, and music will be provided by Treading North.

Meet the Advocate

Ted Garding – Organ Donor

Ted Garding of Eagan, MN woke up on Easter morning in 2010 and read an article about living organ donation in his local paper. The thought suddenly struck him:

“This is something I am healthy enough to do.”

Garding registered to be an undirected altruistic donor, and gave a kidney to a 28-year-old man from Wisconsin.

“It was the most rewarding and educational experience I have ever had,” he said.

The man who received the kidney told Garding after the donation that he had been sick his whole life, and finally knew what it was like to feel well.

“That was the best gift I’ve ever received,” Garding said. “I’ve gain a new friend, and I’ve never felt better mentally and physically in my life.”

Now Garding is actively involved with the National Kidney Foundation, spreading awareness of kidneys and kidney disease by giving Your Kidneys and You presentations, and becoming an advocate at the 2015 Kidney Patient Summit.

“If I had never seen that article, my donation would never have happened,” Garding said. “That’s why I think awareness is so important. People should be aware of organ donation and aware of the disease itself. That’s why it’s a pleasure to be part of the NKF’s advocacy summit.”