Just ahead of the holidays, 17-year-old Allyah received a special gift from the Shine Foundation.
Allyah, a grade 12 student who aspires to be a lawyer one day, is paralyzed and relies on her family members for support on her day-to-day needs. Highly curious about politics and the law, she spends a lot of time studying on her school-borrowed Chromebook, as she did not have a laptop of her own. Until now.
Allyah shared with Shine that she always wanted to have her own laptop and printer, and Shine came through. On Saturday, December 11, representatives from Shine surprised Allyah with a brand new 16” MacBook, complete with a set of air pods and magic mouse, and an HP Printer. But the surprises didn’t stop there. Shine also surprised Allyah by having Best Buy’s Geek Squad mount a Smart TV in her room, which she will now excitedly use to binge watch her favourite shows, Criminal Minds and Suits. An Alexa home system was also setup so that Allyah can operate her lights on her own. One final surprise was connecting her with a current law student and plan a Zoom call for encouraging chats about law school, career guidance and networking.
Due to COVID-19 and the related restrictions, Shine has had very few opportunities over the past 22 months to do in-person presentations. Hence, Allyah’s Shine Dream was especially gratifying for those attending the small gathering, while following all safety precautions and protocols.
“We haven’t seen Allyah this happy in the last few months,” said Jennifer, Allyah’s mom. “Shine has been so amazing, along with Canada Life and The Geek Squad from Best Buy, in making this a really special day for Allyah with all the surprises. Thank you very much to all of you!”
This experience has made her independent and more confident. She mentions how happy she is about being able to turn on and off her bedroom lights and control her electronics with her voice using Alexa home system. She is applying to University and can't wait to start a course in physiology, fueled by her love for crime shows and law.
Allyah’s Shine Dream will fuel her passion, ignite new ideas, and give her the tools to inspire grand possibilities for her future, including a flourishing career!
