When Life Gives You Lemons...

The title, “Working On Walking (WOW)”, was coined by a woman named Alyssa Silva, who has SMA I, when she was only ten years old. As a little girl, Alyssa would have lemonade stands to raise money for Spinal Muscular Atrophy and had always dreamed of raising $100 for this cause, but selling lemonade wasn't the most lucrative option. So, Alyssa decided to branch out and explore other ventures.

In the early years of fundraising, Alyssa designed cards and calendars using her favorite colored pencils. This idea came from a woman named Marie Goodman, Alyssa's occupational therapist at the time, who saw that Alyssa had a special talent that she could use to benefit the SMA community. From this point forward, Alyssa and Marie spent most therapy sessions practicing range of motion techniques and drawing for her newly established venture, Working On Walking.

Alyssa set out with a goal to raise $100 dollars when she started out back in 2000. And, as life would have it, $100 quickly turned into $1,000, then $1,000 turned into $10,000, and $10,000 turned into...well, you get the gist. From the very beginning, though, Alyssa realized, no matter the dollar amount raised, how important it is to fundraise and generate awareness if you want to make a difference in this world. Her cards and calendars will always serve as reminder of how it all began, and this organization will always serve as a reminder of how far we can go.