Maryland High School Raises Thousands for New Wheelchair for Student

UPDATE: The goal of $25,000 has been reached and the total is approaching $30,000 as of Thursday evening.

A Montgomery high school community has smashed its original goal to raise money for a student who's desperately needed upgrades to his wheelchair. They crossed the $20,000 mark Tuesday, making the dream of a brand-new wheelchair possible for a student described as "one of the most positive kids... ever."

Nineteen-year-old Ibrahim Samia -- who goes by the nickname Ibra -- has been using the same donated wheelchair for the past six years, according to a GoFundMe page. But it's worn out and too small.

Ibra, who has athetoid cerebral palsy, has uncontrolled movements of his arms and legs. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and moved to the U.S. at age 13. For the first few weeks after arriving, Ibra's father carried him around school because their family could not afford a wheelchair, according to the GoFundMe page.

The hardships haven't affected Ibra's outlook on life.

"Ibra is one of the most positive kids I've ever worked with, and his desire for independence over his pain, over his discomfort, over all the trials of his life, is so amazing, that it's inspiring," said Jane Juliano, a physical therapist for Montgomery County Public Schools, in a video posted to the GoFundMe page.

Ibra's current wheelchair -- which he's had since he was just 13 -- is now too small for him, and it needed thousands of dollars in upgrades. So students in the Learning For Independence program at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg decided to spring into action.

Their initial goal: to raise $8,000 for modifications to his current wheelchair. It seemed impossible to raise the more than $20,000 necessary to purchase a new, custom power chair.

The students held a bake sale over two days in May, but raised just $170.96. Then they put together a GoFundMe page -- and that's when the fundraising started to skyrocket. On Tuesday, donations crossed the $20,000 mark.

The new goal for Ibrahim is $25,000, which would be enough to gift the teen a customized power chair, something his family thought would never happen.

"We really want something new to start out," Juliano said. "If we can get him in a position where he's in something that doesn't already have some wear on it, then it's possible it can last him for many, many years."

Reaching the $25,000 goal would mean that his custom chair would also be a power chair -- and that would provide independence for Ibra. In a manual chair, "he would always be dependent," Juliano said.

"A power chair would give him that option for employment, the opportunity to travel on public transportation," Juliano said. "He has the intelligence; he has that congitive level that would allow him to be as independent as possible beyond just the physical."

You can keep up with Ibra at his GoFundMe page.