FLI Charity — The Charity for Independence

For Living Independence (FLI) is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing and installing Assistive Technology (AT) for disabled individuals to enhance their ability to live independently. FLI Founder, Clinton Clarke, has over 20 years of engineering experience working with the disabled community. Frustrated by the lack of funding for technologies that could drastically improve the quality of life of his clients, Clinton founded FLI. In essence, FLI wants to bridge the gap between public funding and the true cost of these life changing devices. Thanks to generous private donations, the charity is able to install these devices that make everyday functions, that are often taken for granted, accessible to all.

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive Technology (AT) is technology that includes adaptive, assistive, and rehabilitative devices specially designed for people with disabilities. Over the years, AT has evolved beyond traditional devices such as wheelchairs and walkers. Technologies now exist that allow disabled individuals to independently perform basic tasks that previously required the help of another, such as getting dressed, eating, maintaining personal hygiene, and even getting out of bed. Additionally, the rapid development of smart home tech has made options available to disabled people that were previously too expensive or too difficult to install.

A door equipped with AT for an older gentleman with Cerebral Palsy; thanks to this installation he is able to control his door through his smartphone as well as his thermostat and almost every light and fan in his home.

The Impact of FLI

One of the most impressive projects FLI installed was for a severely depressed, late stage ALS patient named Michelle. Michelle connected with FLI through a nursing home that she had moved into following the progression of her condition. At this stage of ALS (more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease), she only retained control over her eye movements. After speaking with Michelle’s friends and family, Clinton learned that she had a background in programming and web design, and used to run her own company. He was able to set up a special, eye-controlled computer for her that enabled her to control it with the blink of an eye, utilizing free, specialized scanning software. This provided her with an outlet for her creativity, which greatly boosted her spirits, and even allowed her to reopen her web design company. Previously expected only to live one additional year, she lived, worked, and thrived for four additional years.

Independence enabled by Technology

Joyfully, stories like Michelle’s are becoming more and more common with the advancement of technology. Over the past couple of years, the rapid growth and success of cryptocurrencies has opened up an entirely new field of work. Because of the decentralized nature of crypto, these new positions are often remote in nature, allowing for people to work from home or wherever is best for them. Additionally, many new self employment opportunities now exist, such as blockchain development or day trading. These new options are particularly suited for disabled people, who may have difficulties commuting to work, and greatly benefit from the flexibility that comes with remote work and self employment. This financial revolution that is cryptocurrency is enabling people of all backgrounds to take control of their financial lives and become more independent.

Cryptocurrency and FLI

In early 2018, FLI connected with Parachute Token, a New York City based company that builds communities and provides freelance services for crypto start-ups. The Parachute community embraced FLI’s mission and has been very supportive. In fact, many members of the Parachute community have generously contributed both traditional currencies and cryptocurrencies to FLI. Cryptocurrencies are used by FLI to pay for services, such as website development and graphic design. To date, over 500,000 Parachute Tokens (PAR) and over 10,000,000 Wednesday Coins (WED) have been donated to FLI Charity. Thanks to these generous contributions, FLI is able to allocate more USD funds to the purchase and installation of Assistive Technology.

As Mother Teresa once said:

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving”

The same holds true with cryptocurrency, the smallest gift to the underpriviliged is worth infinitely much. So, try to be charitable today; wish someone a good day, call a loved one, or even donate to charity. Let’s share this gift that is cryptocurrency!

Written by Chris and Crypto French

- If you wish to donate to FLIcharity, you can follow this link: https://www.flicharity.org/donate.html or donate via Parachute https://www.parachutetoken.com/charity

ParachuteToken will be matching 1MM in PAR donations

FLICharity: https://www.flicharity.org/ -