Dean Thomas Moinet Foundation

Don’t you want to change the world? Don’t you see there needs to be a change and you can make it?

I remember as a child I always thought I could change the world. I saw so many injustices around me that I wanted to fix. I was very sensitive and hated when people were hurt or upset. Whenever an ambulance would go by with the sirens blaring I would start crying because I knew someone SOMEWHERE was hurt. I did not know them or know what was wrong, the simple fact there was a person needing an ambulance would send me to tears. It was the same with fire trucks and even watching the news. I would be so scared and upset by the news I was not allowed to watch it until 6^th grade. (yea I know, cue laughter) But this sensitivity that used to be ridiculed by other children is one of the best parts of me.

You see, even now it’s hard for me to swallow the injustices of this world. Even though I’m grown up and I know the ways of the world, the beggar on the street corner puts a pit in my stomach every time. Children with special needs who are mistreated can get me riled up and ready to fight for them. Knowing anything about this beggar or child with special needs is irrelevant; it’s an injustice, an unfair situation that must be righted….or at least helped.

I have learned over the years that a moment of kindness for a person in one of these situations can be astronomical. For them to have someone to listen to their problem, just to act like they care, perhaps bring them a warm meal or hold their hand is colossal.  It gives them the thing they are missing; HOPE. It gives them reason to persist through the moments of injustice and hope that things will turn around.

These revelations came to light when I found an injustice I could not ignore. It was one that was handed to me by God, handpicked, because He knew how it would affect me. He knew I would not turn a blind eye to this injustice and that it would keep me up nights trying to find its solution. He also knew eventually, it would become my life’s work.

I met a little girl by the name of Megan just over 3 years ago. She had Hurler’s syndrome and was always in the Hospital, and yet was not getting the support she needed from local charities. Her out of state family did not have the time or effort to fight for support for their family as well as fight for her life. They did not know the area, had the majority of their family in another state, and were alone with this issue hanging over their heads. So with me being her Developmental Therapist, and visiting her in the hospital each week, I decided I would fight for her. I would look to find her a home where she could stay when she was discharged, but being medically fragile (extremely sick with a compromised immune system) there were many charities that were not safe for her to enter. She needed space of her own, and her family could not live out of the hospital anymore. They were getting terrible night sleeps on cots and waking up with sickening worry whenever a machine would beep. I was appalled by the fact there was no where equipped to handle her medical issues if she was discharged from the hospital. She needed a charity to step up, she needed resources, and her family needed HOPE.

I became extremely close to Megan and her family during the year I knew them. Megan was no longer viewed as a child on my caseload, she was my family, and her mother and grandmother treated me the same way. We fought the system, and after a lot of failures, we decided that something needed to be done about this. I spoke with Megan’s mother and she shared her dream to open a nonprofit to help children like Megan one day. I knew as well as her how necessary this kind of nonprofit would be as I had witnessed firsthand the hoops they were put through. With a life threatening disease ailing a baby of only 19 months shouldn’t there be endless resources? Shouldn’t their family get support from numerous charities and qualify for help whenever they need it?

Soon after our life changing conversation, Megan passed away. Luckily she was able to find solace in a safe environment outside of the hospital to make a few more memories with her family before that day came.  Although Megan was gone, I kept in touch with her family and could not shake all the problems that I had faced trying to find aide for them. So one day, I decided to do something about it. I called my Mom and said, “I have a kind of crazy idea…..I want to start a nonprofit for children like Megan.” After my Mom swallowed this idea, along with a few sips of wine, she said to me “You are uniquely qualified for this since you knew her. You can do anything you want with God’s help.” So after a lot of prayer, support from my Mom, and the support and encouragement of Megan’s family, we decided to go down the opening a nonprofit path. People called me crazy, said the economy was too bad, and it was impossible. People criticized every aspect of our plan, but luckily I am a little crazy and have a lot of faith that drives me forward.

Over two years later, a lot of paperwork submitted, and the help of an amazing God-loving lawyer, we did it. We got approval from the IRS that we are an official nonprofit. We have our 501c3 status and we are tax exempt. We have a dedicated board that will work hard to bring spiritual, emotional, and physical support to families with medically fragile children. We have drive, vision, and God working hard to make this plan a reality, because without Him we would have never gotten this far. It was so incredibly difficult for us to get here, but we are here……we did it!

This is for the sensitive child who could not ignore the injustices of the world who lives inside of me. That child grew up into a woman who found an injustice she could not disregard. I am thankful for that sensitive child inside of me which made me uniquely qualified for this type of mission. Because of her, I will never forget the pain and anger I felt for Megan’s family not getting what they deserved, and this will be my drive to help so many families in the future. I am so thankful for a mother who told that child from a young age, “you can do anything you want, you can change the world.” And I’m glad that child was naïve enough to believe her, because now I am changing the world.

Some causes you just can’t ignore, and praise God for that.

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