MS Helping Hands - MSHH is a stand alone, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation,

licensed & registered in the State of Washington.

Tax ID# 91-2006980, UBI #601991934

With the exception of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fl, MSHH is neither part of, nor affiliated with any other local or national MS organization, and has been providing services and resources to people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) residing in Washington State since 1999. MSHH believes in stopping the bleeding and then treating the wound by reaching out to people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in order to assist those who have fallen through the cracks of the Social Services System.
 
OUR GOALS:
"To bring an awareness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) to the general public, let people with MS and their families know that there is a place for them to access information, receive financial assistance in various ways, and to find support in living and coping with the many symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, (MS)".
 
OUR VISION:
"To see the need for Multiple Sclerosis Foundations structured as they are today, become a thing of the past! Once a cause is known and a cure has been developed , it will just be a matter of providing the cure to everyone, particularly, to those who have patiently waited so long. MSHH foresees that donations once given for medical research and the development of drugs, will then go to assist those still undergoing financial misfortune."
 

"People may have Multiple Sclerosis, but Multiple Sclerosis doesn't have people!"

The Legend of the Turtle:
"The turtle never moves forward until it sticks its neck out. MSHH sticks its neck out for people with MS!
 
 

ROGER OLIVER “6/18/1933-6/12/2010”

       We pay tribute to and celebrate a life, not to morn one.  It was a life that spanned almost 77 years and touched many people along the way. It was a life that took many directions; a life that saw and did many things along the way. It was a life of a very unique person…………Roger leaves behind a wife (Carol Hahn), a son in Alaska and a daughter in Montana and countless friends.

       Roger Oliver passed away Saturday, June 12, 2010 at about 1:00 am. He had his second open heart surgery on Friday, June 4, 2010 at Swedish/Providence Hospital – Cherry Hill. The procedure to replace his 14 year old artificial valve was more difficult than expected.

       From out of nowhere Roger joined forces with me in late 1999. His wife Carol sent him to help me. I had recently founded MS Helping Hands and the Donor Closet as a resource that I didn’t believe would last 3 to 6 months.  Without Roger it probably wouldn’t have. All it took was for him to see the look – the smile – on the face of a woman who we delivered a free scooter to in a South Everett apartment complex. She immediately mounted it and rode it all around the apartment complex parking lot. She was no longer confined to her small apartment. She had tears in her eyes when we left.    

       From that point on he did all the pickups and deliveries of DME & ME items as the calls came in using his van. What started out as “I will call you when I need you,” ended up with him spending most of his time (Tuesdays – Wednesdays & Thursdays) at the Hwy 99 Donor Closet site. When the Donor Closet relocated to its present location in downtown Edmonds and changed to being open Monday thru Saturday from 10 am to 3:00 pm, Roger was there every day. He opened the Donor Closet and closed it almost every day. He often waited on clients before the Donor Closet was officially open and quite often after it was supposed to be closed.

       For over 10 years Roger Oliver was literally the face of the MSHH Donor Closet. No matter where one looks you will see Roger’s creativity & efforts that made the Donor Closet the success it has become. His handy work is everywhere you look; from the installation of the main automatic entrance door, rewiring the building, getting new lighting fixtures installed, installing safety equipment and sanitary items, and more recently designing and having power units made to connect the power chairs and scooters to to make it easier for keeping them charged. Most of the appearance of the Donor Closet is attributed to Roger and his ideas. His knowledge of scooters made it easy for those looking for one to get exactly what they needed.

       Roger never asked; he just automatically did it. If he saw something that everyone would benefit by, it was taken care of. He was very innovative. He was an exceptionally clever person.

       When not waiting on clients, he loved to watch the history channel on the Donor Closet TV and the old movie channel. He could name all the movie stars in the old movies. He would often be found after hours watching the Donor Closet TV for channels he couldn’t get on his set at home.

       Roger will long be remembered as the “Music Man” leading the Donor Closet Scooter Drill Team in six City of Edmonds 4^th of July Parades playing marching music from the sound system he had mounted on his scooter. The crowd cheered him every year and he loved it. He led the team to 4 trophies. On the days leading up to the parade Roger would often disappear by going into downtown Edmonds and serenading the city of Edmonds with his patriotic music. You could hear him coming a mile away.

       For several years he set up and took down the booth at the Taste of Edmonds without being asked.       Roger was the best trivia person I ever knew and I loved to listen to his stories and marvel at his knowledge about so many things. Just his trivia knowledge about Edmonds, the local area, Seattle and the other stories he told about the State of Washington would fill a book. He had a wealth of information to share.

        Never a day went by that Roger wasn’t seen doing the crossword puzzles in the local newspapers. He was a fanatic crossword puzzler. He had a fantastic vocabulary.

        Roger was definitely NOT a computer buff. Except for printing out pickup and delivery maps, playing games, and doing a little googling, he swore at the office computers quite often. Computers were not his cup of tea.

         Roger knew just about every restaurant in the area as well as many others all over the country including Hawaii. As soon as a new restaurant opened up anywhere nearby or within driving distance he tried it out. He loved to eat. Roger and Carol lead me and my wife Carol on an all day excursion to Vancouver, BC. We took our 3-scooters (my Carol walked) on the sounder train from Edmonds, rode the sky train in Vancouver, BC to the waterfront where we took a commuter boat to North Vancouver to a food mall. All this was just to eat at a favorite mall they liked to go to for a variety of food to pick from. He wasn’t a happy camper on the return home when his scooter battery was too weak to run his scooter and I had to push him onto the train to come home. He forgot to fully charge his scooter battery before we left Edmonds. It was long day and a fun trip.

         He knew all about airplanes having worked 40 years for Boeing as an electrician; especially World War II models and he kept up with all the new ones. He had hundreds of stories to tell about the different Boeing planes and all the testing done during his tenure with Boeing.

         He attended symphonies and operas with his wife Carol Hahn.  

         Roger and Carol were living proof that just because one has physical challenges, life isn’t over. They traveled everywhere taking their scooters with them. If the area wasn’t user friendly, they let the powers to be know about it until something was done to correct the situation. Both of them were strong advocates for physically challenged people. He loved to assist Carol with the occasional lunches for the MS patients at the Richmond Beach Care & Rehab Center.

          You always knew where Roger was coming from as he never held back his true feelings or what he was thinking but he was always sweet to the ladies, but that was Roger. He had his following. He enjoyed going into the front office area whenever I was out of the area to visit with the office ladies.

          He was very adept on his scooter but had a way of backing into things behind him and quite often it was me. Vel repaired the office door several times after Roger would knock it off its hinges. I can’t count the number of times he ran over my foot. One had to be very careful when standing behind him.

          Roger was very devoted and thoughtful to his wife Carol. I would occasionally treat the Donor Closet staff to a pizza lunch. Every time I did I knew I would see Carol with the staff at the table when the pizzas were delivered. He never asked if it was ok to invite her, he just did. Carol was part of the Donor Closet staff and cooked many a hotdog at our special open house events.

I could go on and on but in summary, Roger was all Donor Closet and the Donor Closet was ALL Roger and he was a great friend. Roger would have been 77 on June 18, 2010………………

            Roger left his mark wherever he went and the world he lived in will long remember him, I know I will…………………..