Everk Sanchez – MeHug “The Ability of Disability”
Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with a critical illness!
Everk Sanchez was a communicator when his daughter began to lose her ability to communicate. While enrolling his daughter in a program to improve her speech, he realized a great need for families of children diagnosed with disabilities and/or critical illnesses.
In 2015, Everk decided to do something about it and founded MeHug with the purpose of creating an inclusive environment that helps children with special needs and their families be loved, successful, and respected.
MeHug is an Arizona nonprofit organization serving Latino parents of children with special abilities (diagnosed with a disability and/or a chronic disease). Go here for more info: https://mehug.org/
The non-profit organization wants to create a life-changing support system for parents of children diagnosed with disabilities and/or serious illnesses.
At MeHug, they believe that every child is special, not only those with a disability and that together, we can create life-changing support for parents of children diagnosed with disabilities and/or critical illnesses. As their website states, “when a parent is supported, it creates strength, hope and transformation in a family – and a community.”
Some of the organization’s accomplishments include:
- Since March 2021, MeHug’s volunteers and ambassadors have traveled more than 3000 miles and collected 5500 pounds of plastic bottle caps. The caps are sent to Banco de Tapitas, an organization created by young Mexican students and professionals from several important universities. Banco de Tapitas sells the tapitas for recycling and the money is used to support children affected by cancer.
- More than $20,000 donated to parents since 2015. Small donations that can pay for one month of rent, a car payment, a month of food and gas, 3 months of medical insurance, travel expenses to pick a special chair for the child, legal representation and many more things.
- More than 1000 hair donations since April 2017. Crowns of Courage, Wigs for Kids and Banco de Tapitas A.C. (Movimiento Rapunzel) were the organizations where MeHug donated the collected hair. They transform the donations into beautiful wigs.
- Over 5000 toys donated to children with special education. Parents get to bring their children in order to choose one or two toys. When are allowed, they take Santa into the special education classrooms and then students choose their toy. Sibblings are allow to get a toy too.
Everk Sánchez was nominated as one of the Univision Network’s UniVisionarios. Each year UniVisionarios honors the most influential Hispanics in the United States and how their contributions advance our community and this country. It’s not just an annual list of the most influential Hispanics — it’s a conversation about them and each other. Enter here: https://www.univision.com/especiales/noticias/2022/univisionarios/#/
