With a little help from her friends, Julie Jones gets a new van
Van does run. After a month of distributing fliers, holding fundraisers and recording a song to inspire the “Van Doesn’t Run” campaign, Julie Jones’ friends and family — and even strangers — have done the unthinkable.
The group raised $31,530 Sunday night, exceeding the initial goal of accumulating $30,000 by Dec.18.
“I’m blessed with friends who stepped up to help,” Jones said Monday afternoon.
Jones, 41, of Fountain Valley, has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder causing muscle damage and weakness, and has used a wheelchair since age 3. She and her parents, Connie and Garry Jones, had relied on their Ford Club Wagon to get her to doctor appointments and procedures.
But when the trusty van, nicknamed “Ol’ Smokey,” broke down two months ago, Jones’ Fountain Valley High School alums sought to raise funds for a new wheelchair-accessible transport for their former classmate.
With the generous giving of time and money, Jones now is able to talk about a new and improved ride.
Meet “Silver Bullet,” a 2012 Honda Odyssey with new conversion equipment.
“It’s amazing,” Jones said.
Her gratitude starts with the friendships formed in 1987.
*
A 23-year reunion
Since graduation from Fountain Valley High in 1991, Jones has stayed in touch with her old theater and choir classmates. After the van broke down, she told old friend Chad Duncan that she didn’t know what she was going to do.
Duncan suggested a fundraiser. He created a fundraising website on international crowdfunding site Indiegogo and sent an email to friends asking for their talents to help the campaign to replace “Ol’ Smokey.”
That’s when the 23-year reunion started.
Chris Barela, who also was in the Fountain Valley High theater program, designed fliers and arranged with Steve Smith, owner of two Fountain Valley Taco Bells, to divert proceeds from sales at both stores to the cause.
Michael Brothen, a former classmate who now lives in Lansdale, Pa., sang a parody of Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run” — “Van Doesn’t Run” — and posted the recording on YouTube.
David Denman, a film and television actor known for his roles in “The Office” and “The Replacements,” attended Fountain Valley High and donated several times to the website, according to Duncan.
Fredricka Veenstra, whose daughter went to elementary school and high school with Jones, drove up and down Brookhurst Street to hand out fliers. She also made bead bracelets and sold them at her Curves luncheon. Veenstra, who is retired and plays bridge Monday afternoons, said her fellow card players made individual contributions. One member who only plays bridge when she is visiting from Minnesota donated $500.
“It’s been amazing to me, and I’ve made some interesting friends along the way,” Veenstra said by phone.
Veenstra, who has never met Duncan, said they have become friends after talking about how to help Jones.
“She’s been a true champ by pounding the pavement,” Duncan said by phone from Ft. Worth, Texas, where he lives. “There have been a lot of unsung heroes in this. It’s been incredible.”
A particular incredible aspect of the effort happened Friday night when Duncan and Barela saw a substantial increase in funds.
For days, the group had been stuck at roughly $16,000. Duncan, who repeatedly checked the site, learned Friday that the amount had jumped to $26,766. He called Barela and told him to check the site.
They were stunned. The site had received $9,975 from an anonymous donor.
Brothen called Jones’ father and told him and his daughter to look at the web page.
“I thought Indiegogo made a mistake,” Jones said. “But this came from a total stranger.”
The fundraiser was about $3,000 short of reaching its goal in the remaining 20 days.
The next morning, Duncan called Jones, saying they had received $2,900 more. Within an hour, the site made an additional $1,530, surpasing its $30,000 goal.
“We have all been in awe of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a group,” Jones said.
*
‘A smoother ride’
A gleaming silver minivan sat parked in front of the Joneses’ home Monday afternoon. The brand new Odyssey was ready for a test drive.
“I think this will be a smoother ride,” Connie Jones said as she opened the Honda’s rear latch lift.
A classmate of Jones connected her with Hugh Brown, general manager at Ability Center, a wheelchair-accessible-vehicle dealership. Brown picked up the Jones family and brought them to his lot in Stanton to look at vans. They learned a rear-entry was best, since Jones’ wheelchair was too large to fit into a side-entry van.
But adjustments needed to be made so that Jones’ aging family members could safely help her into the van.
After assessing what technology would be best, Brown suggested an automatic docking station where Jones could click and be held into place rather than have her parents manually secure each wheel of her wheelchair. Brown also suggested making the vehicle’s ramp automatic rather than having to have someone manually lift it up and down.
Duncan said he, Jones and Barela have added a “stretch” goal on Indiegogo that will allow them to focus on the specific technology that Jones needs. They are hoping to reach $40,000 once tax, title and license are done.
“Things have changed in the past 25 years, and it hit us when we thought of her mom and dad having to do things manually,” Duncan said. “It became imperative for us to figure out how to help the caretakers.”
With the van’s raised roof space, two bucket seats and advantage of easier parking, Jones said the new van feels like a good fit.
“This is very nice,” Jones said. “I feel like I’m sitting in a regular car, and I haven’t done that since I was 5 or 6 years old.”
*
Watching the wheels
As for “Ol’ Smokey,” it appears that it is headed for a place of eternal torment.
“Ol’ Smokey needs to die a horrible death for what it’s done to Julie,” Duncan said. “We really want somebody to destroy it.”
Duncan and Barela have reached out to “MythBusters,” a television show that deals with scientific experiments, a pyrotechnic school and fire departments, with the thought that firefighters would like to learn how to practice using the Jaws of Life by ripping apart metal.
When Jones heard of the planned doom, she couldn’t help but laugh, even though she still has a bit of affection for the old machine.
“My friends are crazy,” said Jones. “But you have to remember, these are the same friends who in high school lifted me up in my wheelchair onstage without me knowing. I’d be like, ‘What are you doing to me?’”
Today, Jones said, since the goal has been surpassed, she has been busy writing thank-you notes to donors and talking strategy with the campaigners.
Jones, Duncan and Barela would like to form a foundation to help others in the same situation. Jones knows of people whose fundraisers to pay for a new vehicle have fallen through.
“We want to pay it forward with a nonprofit to gather funds and offset the costs for these individuals,” Jones said.
The three just needed a name for the organization.
“Loose Wheels?” Duncan suggested.
No.
“Squeaky Wheels?” he threw out.
No.
“Wheels for Julie Foundation?” he asked.
They paused for a second.
“That works,” they said.
For more information, visit wheelsforjulie.com.