Student Spotlight
School: William Tennent High School in Warminster, where he is a junior.
Achievement: Harper, 17, is the founder and president of the Wheeled Scotsman Foundation, a Warminster organization that raises money to help families with disabled children. The nonprofit foundation provides funding to purchase needed equipment for youngsters with disabilities, and helps pay for construction that will make their homes handicap-accessible.
Harper has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by progressive loss of muscle function and primarily affects boys. He was diagnosed when he was six years old, and he uses a wheelchair.
Harper's organization, run by parents Chris and Janeen, holds fund-raisers throughout the year. A 5K run is scheduled for today in Spring House, and the foundation's annual Soccer Festival will be from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Upper Moreland High School. There will be soccer games and clinics, including the main event, the Scotsman's Cup Game featuring the Sons of Ben vs. the Philadelphia Arsenals. That game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Admission is $5.
Motivation: "We were getting frustrated with our insurance company refusing to pay for certain things," Harper said. "I needed things for my wheelchair and bathrooms. The insurance finally paid for it, but it took a lot of arguing."
Other families: "We were watching TV and saw that a lot of handicapped people had the same problem. They had trouble getting the insurance companies to pay for things like ramps to get inside houses, shower chairs, and pull bars in bathrooms. . . .
"A lot of families don't know what to do, and may not have a place to turn."
Taking action: "We decided to start fund-raisers so we could help people, and we got our own Web site for the foundation. We've been using the money to help people get things in their homes."
The foundation's name: "Well, I'm in a wheelchair and I'm Scottish. I used to be able to walk. I can still use my hands, but can't use my arms very well."
Raising funds: "We've done a couple of beef-and-beers, and we had another soccer festival, and from a couple of companies, we've gotten some pretty good donations. So far, we've raised about $10,000."
Practical help: "We've helped people install ramps and got one person a pool lift and a shower chair for someone. We did a bathroom for a girl with multiple sclerosis, and a monitor for a World War II veteran so he could communicate with his wife."
Correcting misconceptions: "Some people think that just because we're in a wheelchair that we don't understand things. My message would be that most of us are just like anybody else."
The next phase: "We're working on getting our own sports complex for soccer and other sports like lacrosse and also wheelchair soccer. My dad has been talking on the phone with a lot of companies, hoping to raise money for the complex."
The future: "After graduation, I want to work on the foundation and help more."
What a foundation beneficiary says: "This is one of the few organizations that help. There is just no money out there," said Monica Kennedy, of East Rockhill, whose 16-year-old son, Bobby, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.
"The foundation paid for a pool lift - a manual hydraulic lift with a swing seat - and we can just lower him in the pool, and he can be there with his brother and sister. It's such a generous organization. They do whatever they can."
- Kristin E. Holmes
