THE ST VINCENT de Paul Society gifted a special little boy in Dubbo his "freedom" for Christmas.
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Five-year-old Myles Wilton, who had a stroke when he was two weeks old, now has the means to move independently and his mum Ali can see "he loves it".
She and husband Rob sought help from the society in the face of a long and uncertain wait for government funding to buy their son a wheelchair.
A letter written by Mrs Wilton and passed on to the society's central council, delivered a Christmas present that the family is enormously grateful and relieved to have received.
Representatives of the society in Dubbo, Pat Yeo and Barb Kelly, have called into the Wilton household to witness how well $6600 has been spent.
"They'll need to renew the wheelchair as Myles grows, so we're starting a trust fund," Mr Yeo said.
"It will be called the Myles Wilton Wheelchair Trust Fund with the idea of encouraging other service organisations in Dubbo to come on board."
Year 4 students at St Mary's Primary School in Dubbo have already answered the call, raising more than $2000 towards wheelchair upkeep and other equipment Myles will need in the future.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Myles has vision, mobility and communication difficulties along with impaired balance.
They have not prevented him from chalking up a "fantastic year" as a student of both the Orana Heights Intervention Class and Dubbo and District Preschool.
Myles used a walking frame under close supervision to get to his classrooms where crawling was his main mode of movement.
The new wheelchair with green trimming is expected to help him better engage in activities that will further boost his skills and confidence as he "transitions up to St Mary's" in 2015.
Mrs Wilton has already seen a change in her son.
"The first time he sat in it he started to wheel himself along.
"I think he got that sense of freedom," she said.
The Wilton family, including one-year-old Sam, are excited at the prospect of being able to undertake "normal activities" such as going to the library, cafes and doctor appointments, knowing Myles will be "safe and stable" in his wheelchair and not confined in a stroller becoming increasingly too small.
Mrs Wilton, a stay-at-home mum, anticipates the first outing will be a "two-parent job".
Mr Yeo said giving "young Myles an opportunity for the future" was the type of assistance the society liked to provide while Mrs Kelly noted that "a community raises a child".
