Ilan Shterenberg, a goalie for Montgomery Youth Hockey Association is currently serving as a Young Ambassador for the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation. Back in November, he began a fundraiser to raise money for a fellow friend, Lamar Collado who was born with a severe form of epilepsy. He was looking to raise money for a customized adaptive bike that will help improve mobility and he has successfully gifted him the bike.
He presented the bike to Lamar on February 15th. He customized the bike to be Washington Capitals colors with Lamar’s name. Lamar’s mother, Marissa Collado, said, “Are you kidding me? We weren’t even qualified because we were non-sports people. When we got to the interview part, I just poured my heart out. I’m not even sure if you guys are going to choose us, but if you do, we’re forever grateful.”
Photo courtesy of Washington Capitals (NHL)
Shterenberg first learned about Collado through Freedom Concepts which is an adaptive equipment company that his uncle used to work for. He was recommended by the local hospital as a patient in need. His fundraising led to 85 donations from 83 different donors online ($6,575) and 5 donations by check from 4 different donors ($1,360) for a total of $7,935.
Ilan Shterenberg applied to the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation and presented his project to Lundqvist, his wife and the foundation’s board this past November.
“The “Dream Bike” program helps families in need cover the cost of the bikes since adaptive equipment is very expensive, and isn’t covered by health insurance most of the time. My initial ISP has raised nearly $8,000 from 90 donations made by 87 individual donors and organizations, with amounts ranging from $5 to $1,000. The money collected goes towards covering the cost of the bike for Lamar and the remaining funds will go towards funding the next bike for another deserving recipient.” says Ilan Shterenberg.
To donate or learn more about Shterenberg’s foundation, click here.
Photo courtesy of Washington Capitals (NHL)