MR. STRONG FOUNDATION, INC.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA

Landon Timothy Harrington was born at 32 weeks, on September 30th, 2009. He suffered severe brain damage and is visually impaired, has cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, sensory processing disorder and is G-tube fed. When our friend, Jols from Australia came to visit Landon at the NICU, she brought him a Mr. Strong character for Landon’s incubator. We knew right then that Landon was OUR Mr. Strong! Landon’s father, Timothy Harrington Jr. and I realized this little 4 lb. 13 oz. baby was not only our son, but our hero and gift. As Landon's mother, I began researching foundations that could assist with providing him with additional therapy services after we had exhausted our normal allotment of services provided by our private health insurance. Unfortunately, I did not come across anything that would provide additional funding. I would sit in various waiting rooms and hear horror stories of how other families could not afford the therapy services either for their special needs children and it was absolutely heartbreaking. So I decided to create a non-profit organization called the Mr. Strong Foundation, Inc. But keep in mind I did not do this to raise money for Landon, in fact not a penny goes to Landon or any of the board members children who have special needs. I did it to support families just like OURS because I know firsthand what it's like to be in your shoes. I believe every special needs child deserves a chance and therapy is their chance, so that's what Mr. Strong Foundation does, it gives these amazing children a chance to succeed in life. In such a short time, the Mr. Strong Foundation has grown to something bigger than I could have ever imagined. Our board of directors is made up of 100% volunteers and I am so incredibly thankful to each and everyone of them for their hard work and dedication. We wouldn't be successful without each and everyone of them. Mr Strong Foundation Michelle M. Morales was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area and is a graduate of University of South Florida, with a BA in English: Professional and Technical Writing. Michelle went on to work for Fox 13 Television in the Traffic Department as a Traffic Assistant for (4 1/2) years. In 2009, she welcomed her first and only son, Landon Timothy Harrington and has been a stay-at-home mother ever since. Michelle has worked closely with the Lupus Foundation of Florida and Lighthouse of Pinellas to assist with their various fundraising efforts. She has a passion for helping others and is determined to help make the lives of special-needs kids and their families as pleasant as she can. She is actively involved with special-needs children’s programs throughout the Bay area. Debbie Perry is also an original board member of The Mr. Strong Foundation, and serves on the Development and In-Kind Giving committee. Debbie was born and raised in St. Petersburg and is employed as a Healthcare Reimbursement & Utilization Management Specialist, and supports the mission to assist in special needs kids and their families any way possible. Marcella Faucette has been residing in the Tampa Bay area since 1993. She and her husband are native New Yorkers and have one son who is currently attending college. Although Marcella is presently working in the long range urban planning arena, she has over 10 years experience as a Speech /Language Pathologist. Marcella graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a B.A. in Speech & Language Pathology and Audiology. She has evaluated and treated developmentally disabled children and adolescents with a variety of speech and language deficits. She has also devised diagnostic and intervention programs for adaptive and computerized augmentative communication systems. Marcella continues to have a passion to help special needs children and their families. How you can help.