by River Ellis Foundation | Dec 10, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
A 2-year-old boy from Franklin passed away suddenly due to Congestive Heart Failure. The day of the funeral, the family was notified that they would be unable to hold the scheduled memorial service for him unless a payment was made to the funeral home beforehand. The...
by River Ellis Foundation | Nov 30, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
A 17 year old boy suffered from two cardiac arrests that resulted in a severe physical disability. He was stabilized during his hospitalization at CHKD, but the family was required to install a ramp at their Norfolk home in order for him to be discharged from the...
by River Ellis Foundation | Oct 26, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
A mother’s car was totaled while driving to her first day of work at a preschool. Her three-year-old daughter was also in the car and was attending preschool for her very first time. Both sustained only minor injuries, but without transportation the mother would no...
by River Ellis Foundation | Oct 19, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
The grandparents and sole providers of two special needs children found themselves without a home after their house burned down earlier this year. Without home insurance, this Hampton family was unable to afford a new house that could accommodate their grandchildren’s...
by River Ellis Foundation | Sep 28, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
A rising 2nd grader in Virginia Beach passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind a grieving family. His mother was unable to pay for his funeral service as a single parent who was already experiencing financial difficulties. The River Ellis Foundation was...
by River Ellis Foundation | Jul 23, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
When her car was totaled in a car accident, a mother found herself in the middle of a difficult situation. She relied on this vehicle to transport her 17 year old son with cerebral palsy to all of his medical appointments. Still making payments on her previous car,...
by River Ellis Foundation | Jul 1, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
At 22 weeks pregnant, a Newport News mother learned that her baby had Down Syndrome along with heart failure so severe that there was no way he would survive. The mother went on to carry him until 28 weeks and 4 days when she gave birth to her baby boy weighing 1lb...
by River Ellis Foundation | May 5, 2020 | Who We Help
A five-year-old boy ended up in the ICU after he was shot outside of his Portsmouth home. After being recently furloughed due to the COVID-19 crisis, his mother needed help purchasing a cell phone to communicate with family about the child’s condition as only...
by River Ellis Foundation | Apr 7, 2020 | Who We Help
When a Chesapeake mother passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep, her six year old son went to live with his grandparents. With very limited income, the grandparents required immediate, short-term assistance to cover the costs of caring for their grandson....
by River Ellis Foundation | Feb 5, 2020 | Who We Help
After celebrating their one year anniversary in 2013, a young husband experienced a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia. The primary caretaker since the injury occurred, his wife suffered a stroke in December 2019 that left her in the ICU. The husband suddenly...
by River Ellis Foundation | Jan 21, 2020 | Sunrise Story, Who We Help
As a single mother of two young girls, I found myself down on my luck a few months ago. I had just escaped a domestic violence situation that I had been in for years. I had moved to another state and had absolutely nothing, not even a vehicle to get myself and my...
by River Ellis Foundation | Jan 3, 2020 | Who We Help
After being diagnosed with a dangerous pregnancy complication, a Virginia Beach teacher experienced the unthinkable when she suddenly required surgery to terminate her pregnancy due to the threat against her own health. This teacher found herself in the middle of a...
