In October, we told you that the charity group Verona Together had created a fundraiser to make the Barshay family’s home wheelchair-friendly for their son Connor, who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. That got the wheels rolling on the remodel and now there’s a film screening to move things even further along.
On Monday, December 28, from 7 to 9 p.m., there will be a virtual, benefit screening of “Ride The Wave,” the documentary made about how Scott Chesney learned to surf. Chesney has been in a wheelchair since age 15 due to a spinal stroke. Tickets to the screening cost $35 and you can purchase them here. There will be a Q&A with Chesney, goodie bags and giveaways.
Verona Together’s “Let’s Lift Connor” fundraiser has netted $37,000 so far, according to Shawn Luftglass, one of Verona Together’s five founders. Evan Scott, a Verona-based architect, donated his services to draw up plans for the remodel and has submitted them to the Verona officials for approval. “The town has been super-supportive on permits,” says Luftglass.
An interior designer in Essex Fells who knows the Barshay family has been contacting building supply companies to get donations of the necessary materials, and one contractor has volunteered a week of construction services. Verona Together is hoping that more contractors will also be able to help out so that it can kick off the work early in the new year. “Our goal is to get as much donated as we can,” Luftglass says.
