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Muscular Dystrophy Association & Magic Wheelchair Launch Instagram Competition October 25 Raising Awareness and Inclusion for People with Neuromuscular Disabilities in Halloween Holiday Joy
IAFF Missoula City Fire Fighters Local 271 and MDA partners including CITGO Petroleum Corporation, NALC, Albertsons and more, participated in the 2021 MDA & Magic Wheelchair costume reveal for sweepstakes winner, Mason, on his third birthday, in Missoula, Montana.
NEW YORK, NY – October 25, 2021 – The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), in collaboration with Magic Wheelchair, launched this year's Instagram competition for a special Halloween costume giveaway for 2022 beginning today, October 25 through October 28. The competition launched today with this @MDAorg Instagram post.
To enter in someone living with a neuromuscular disease to win a Magic Wheelchair costume to be specially designed for the winner, and revealed in 2022, the following steps may be taken:
Here is how you enter:
- Go to Instagram and follow @MDAorg and @MagicWheelchair.
- Comment a
on all of MDA's Instagram posts from 10/25 – 10/28 for a chance to win a Magic Wheelchair costume for 2022. - We will announce the winner on Friday, October 29th!
Competition rules: https://www.mda.org/magic-wheelchair
The organizations will be engaging the community by also sharing a download to coloring book pages on Instagram @MDAorg inspired by real-life @MagicWheelchair costumes and encouraging followers to share their costume ideas which may be featured throughout the campaign when they tag @MDAorg and @MagicWheelchair.
MDA and Magic Wheelchair are both committed to transforming the lives of people living with neuromuscular diseases and disabilities and have collaborated for years. Most recently, they created a Halloween costume reveal in 2020 for MDA National Ambassador Ethan LyBrand. In 2020, they launched a collaborative Instagram competition. The winner's costume was revealed by longtime MDA partners, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), at Missoula City Fire Fighters Local 271 at Station 5 for Mason in Missoula, Montana on his third birthday on October 3, 2021.
"It has been such a treat to learn more about Mason and to work with his Magic Wheelchair build team, led by Shawn Thorsson. His team created a costume that is truly just for him, incorporating his fun personality and the things he loves most, yellow construction vehicles and dinosaurs! Mason's loader truck was also constructed with a robotic front bucket he can move with an adaptive controller," said Christine Getman, Executive Director, Magic Wheelchair.
"Our mission is all about inclusion and self-expression, so the Halloween season is the perfect time to get creative and unapologetically be yourself with your clothes, or costumes, and even your wheelchair," said Scottie Foertmeyer, Director of Community Outreach, Magic Wheelchair. "Even though Halloween will be a little different this year, it can still be a powerful day for kids to let their personalities shine. Whether it's spooky and scary, something whimsical or their favorite fandom, it's all about giving kids a voice while creating fun! Our collaboration with the MDA community allows us to engage families across the country to find joy through creativity and inclusion," he continued.
"When I entered this competition last year on Instagram, I never thought I'd win for Mason! It was such an incredible surprise and an amazing experience to collaborate with MDA and Magic Wheelchair for the unforgettable reveal with our local fire fighters! Mason's diagnosis and life with neuromuscular disease has been a challenge for our family, but the community of support and MDA's mission to fund research, care and advocacy, has provided us with so much hope for more treatments and inclusion in the future, so he can live life to the fullest," said Nicole Goeddel, MDA family member.
"Our IAFF partnership has always been based in fundraising for research and care for families living with neuromuscular diseases, and wholeheartedly based in the spirit of the relationships with local fire fighters across the country in their communities," said Jenny McGahan, Regional Director, Fire Fighter Partnerships for MDA. "This reveal with Mason's family embodied that spirit and we are so grateful to our longtime partners, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and Missoula City Fire Fighters Local 271 at Station 5 for hosting an incredible reveal for Mason and his family."
MDA is grateful for the support of this collaboration with Magic Wheelchair, from leading longtime partners IAFF, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and Albertsons, and for additional support from Lowe's and Keys & Kingdoms.
About Magic Wheelchair
Magic Wheelchair is a nonprofit organization that builds epic costumes for kids and young adults in wheelchairs – at no cost to families. Our mission is to bring communities together to promote inclusion and self-expression for people with disabilities by transforming their wheelchairs into magic. To date, Magic Wheelchair has served nearly 300 families by supporting builders, makers, and students nationwide to create unforgettable moments and epic inclusion. Learn more or get involved, at magicwheelchair.org.
About the Muscular Dystrophy Association
For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA's MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation's top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not possible. MDA's COVID-19 guidelines and virtual events are posted at mda.org/COVID19. For more information, visit mda.org.
