Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin Receives Grant from Sauk Prairie Healthcare Foundation

When you're Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin, you have several invitations and opportunities to speak and raise awareness for people with disabilities. Annie Heathcote, the 2023 Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin, will be able to travel little easier now, thanks to a Healthy Life Grant from Sauk Prairie Healthcare Foundation. Annie is a Mazomanie resident who owns a web and graphic design business.

The $2,500 grant will help Annie pay for gas and travel expenses as she goes to speak with legislators, students, agency employees, church members and news media outlets across the state. She will compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair American this August in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

According to the Ms. Wheelchair America's website, "The mission of Ms. Wheelchair America is to provide an opportunity of achievement for women who happen to be wheelchair users to successfully educate and advocate for the more than 64 million Americans living with disabilities. Unlike traditional beauty pageants, Ms. Wheelchair America is not a contest to select the most attractive individual. It is instead a competition based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswomen for persons with disabilities. The selected representative must be able to communicate both the needs and the accomplishments of her constituency to the general public, the business community, and the legislature."

In a Facebook post after she received the grant, Annie said, "I wanted to say a big thank you to the Sauk Prairie Healthcare Foundation, for awarding me the Healthy Life Grant! I am so honored to receive this grant that will contribute towards the costs of this Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin volunteer opportunity, and also cover my competition fees and travel for the Ms. Wheelchair America national competition coming up in August.

Thank you also to the Board of Directors, for your generosity to me and my mission as Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin 2023, allowing me to spread more disability awareness. I look forward to collaborating more with the Sauk Prairie Healthcare Foundation in the future!"

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