Shriners Children's Erie celebrates 98th annual 'Shriners Day'

Yahoo

2 days ago

Shriners Children's Erie is a local nonprofit that seeks to help children in our community with pediatric orthopedic conditions.
On Sunday, the nonprofit celebrated 98 years of providing that care, inviting the community to their annual 'Shriners Day.'
'It's great. I've been a Shriner now for 13 years. My dad was a Shriner for over 50 years, and it's just a blessing. You come here and you see what we do with our philanthropy, with the children, they're some of the happiest kids in the world that you see here,' said Michael Kerns, board chairman of Shriners Children's Erie.
Shriners from across the country and even Canada came to celebrate another year of service, and those in attendance were invited to check out a car show, listen to the shrine brass band, or take a tour of the building's medical center.
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But Shriners Day is just a glimpse into what Shriners Children's Erie does for our community, and it's stories like Winter Wozniak's that matter most.'I came here because I'm the patient ambassador, and I want to talk to everyone about what I do, because I really think it's fun,' said Wozniak, patient ambassador with Shriners Children's Erie.
Wozniak became a Shriners kid when she was just eight years old after a blood infection progressed into a complex medical condition.
Although nervous at first, she said Shriners has helped her regain her arm strength through the years, and she said she's a big fan of all the games she gets to play in occupational and physical therapy.
'They helped me motion my thumb because before I couldn't even make a thumbs up with my left thumb, and now I can move my fingers on my right hand more than I used to be able to,' said Wozniak.
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She said she got to play one her favorite games at the celebration, challenging a friend in some pickleball in the occupational therapy room.
If you would like to donate or learn more about Shriners Children's Erie, you can check out their website here.
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