This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Giving the Gift of a Promising Future

Local Non-Profit Makes a Young Man from the Dominican Republic's Dream Come True

Carlos Reynoso with Peter Buffington and Jackie Alectoridis
Carlos Reynoso with Peter Buffington and Jackie Alectoridis

It is no surprise that Carlos’s joyful reaction to his new adult-sized prostheses brought tears to his Host parent’s eyes. Nick and Jackie Alectoridis have hosted Carlos numerous times, while he underwent surgery, fittings and physical therapy through Healing the Children New Jersey’s International Inbound Program. The organization also partnered with Peter Buffington, owner of Achilles Prosthetics and Orthotics in Ramsey to make Carlos’s dreams come true. Peter secured over $50,000 of donated prosthetic hardware and donated his services.

A participant in the Program since 2004, Carlos has touched the lives of everybody who have met him with his perseverance, positive disposition and smile. “We are grateful to everybody who has supported Carlos on his journey, and wish him well as he returns home with wind at his back and a spring in his step,” says Karen Mackie, Executive Director, Healing the Children New Jersey.

For more information about Healing the Children New Jersey, please visit the website at htcnj.org

Find out what's happening in Fair Lawn-Saddle Brookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?