Marc Carter, from Devon, has set up a global project called “Little Blue Cup” to help find things that are precious to children.
Carter made headlines this time last year when he issued an appeal for a specific kind of Tommee Tippee Cup for his son with Autism after the company discontinued the particular cups. His 14-year-old son Ben has severe autism and will only drink exclusively out of these small blue sippy cups.
LittleBlueCup Facebook
Carter’s online campaign for help in which he said his son would “rather go to A&E dehydrated than use any other cup” gained masses of publicity and he ended up being gifted 500 of the discontinued cups from Tommee Tippee who were touched by his worldwide appeal.
The Original Appeal
As a result, he has set up the ‘Little Blue Cup’ project as a way to “pay the internet back.” Taking to Facebook he said “social media allowed people around the world to share a nice story about a child who desperately needed a LittleBlueCup. It was a small request that got the most incredible response. I want to pay the internet back.”
“This is my little tiny way, if you care for someone with disabilities or special needs and they need a cup, bottle or anything else, something small that keeps them happy, healthy and from having the most challenging times, please let me know and we will search the Internet together,” he wrote.
Ben and his sippy cup. LittleBlueCup Facebook
The campaign was set up on Facebook earlier this year and has gained a lot of momentum recently with over 23,000 followers and likes to date.
Carter explains that the campaign is not about items of expensive value like computers or TV’s and he also states that his campaign isn’t about fundraising money. Instead, he is trying to get items that mean something personally to some children, for whatever reason.
Speaking about his son’s predicament at the time, emphasizing how serious it can be, he said: “people say he will drink when he’s thirsty, but two emergency trips to A&E with severe dehydration say otherwise.” Now he uses the Facebook page to share stories and appeals from people who are in need of similar vital possessions for their children.
LittleBlueCup Facebook
One of the most recent happy endings came in the form of a knitted Santa cuddly toy. A 4-year-old boy from Wales who has autism, sensory processing disorder, global development delay, Situs Inverses and Dextrocardia, recently lost his prized possession and was unable to sleep without it.
Thankfully the family found his missing toy but it prompted them to think ahead, and in the event that it was lost again what they would do. So they issued an appeal for a replacement toy, which was originally bought from Wilkinsons in 2013.
Hundreds of shares later, someone who saw the post shared a picture of the exact Santa toy she had and offered to send it little Travis from Wales. The toy arrived much to the delight of his parents.
The page had had a few success stories over the last number of months, all of which you can find here.
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