RAIN.. sometimes it’s gentle, sometimes it’s not. But when it stops, new life will grow. Things that were hidden in dirt are uncovered. Plants that appeared to be dead sprout again and turn to shades of green. Flowers bloom. And there is beauty.

That’s the idea behind the RAIN project. A coat of paint. Conversations. And new friends. Eyes are opened to what’s happening in the place we call home. Neighbors meet for the first time. Blocks that used to look beaten up change. And people feel blessed by getting to be a blessing.

All we really want is to feel loved, and the best way we know how to do that is to show love. Someone does care about me. Though it seems like our world is becoming more and more intertwined, and six degrees of separation is moving towards five, connecting to someone behind a computer screen or a phone isn’t the same as putting an arm around someone’s shoulders.

Isn’t it interesting that a giant Redwood starts from a seed? That something so small, so simple, can become so big? Our hope is that lots of seeds were spread Saturday, and that life comes from the RAIN. Some of those conversations bloom into friendships. And those eyes that are now seeing remain open. And that some of those seeds become Redwoods.

What an incredible day. What incredible people. And what incredible hearts. Wow.

Hi! We are the Wagner’s and our story is comprised of many challenges and whole lot of love.  In our family, Dwayne is Dad, Chrystal is Mom, Hunter is our 6 year old energetic, happy, special needs son and Caitlin our 4 year old, very precious little girl.   Chrystal and I have been married for 10 years and our children are our greatest blessings.  The focus on this story surrounds our recent need of a ramp addition to our home due to Hunter’s special circumstances that have forced our family to modify our home with very limited resources.  We wanted to share a little about our family experiences.

When Hunter was 8.5 months of age he was diagnosed with a disorder called, “Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood” (AHC).   AHC is a very rare disease (1 in 1 million) and the cause is unknown. There are less than 250 worldwide cases. There are a wide range of symptoms associated with this disorder.  Hunter commonly experiences and is extremely sensitive to his environmental surroundings such as wind, water, cold temperatures, light, loud noises, and unfamiliar people/places.  Hunter is not able to walk and he eats through a feeding tube that is attached to his stomach through his abdomen.  His mental development is also delayed and he does not talk, but he is able to make noise and show emotions.

Despite all Hunter’s challenges he is a happy little boy that brings joy to everyone he meets. He loves music and so we watch a lot of Barney, Wiggles, and High School Musical. He also loves watching sports, football being his absolute favorite.  He is very delayed but in reality who isn’t….LOL We love his smile-it just lights up a room!! We get comments about his pretty blue eyes all the time.

So our parenting and family journey to this point hasn’t gone without its struggles.  We simply take it day by day, trying to give Hunter everything he needs. Having a special needs child has changed our entire family for the better.  So, as everyone can relate children keep growing and they get heavier.  This fact recently helped us realize that we needed help with mobility options for our home.  Fortunately, Chrystal learned about the Kyle Korver Foundation (Seer Group) and their ramp building expertise.  Despite our pride, we reached out and after short processes we were informed the foundation could help us with an accessibility ramp for our home.  This foundation and the associated team is amazing and helped us by alleviating an immediate need.  The assistance is humbling and workmanship is of the highest quality.  We hope that all those involved understand that their individual and team contributions has made the lives and challenges of our family a little easier and more focused on giving back.  Thank you to Seer Group and the Kyle Korver Foundation!