His wheelchair off to the side, 16-year-old Julian Powell sits on the padded floor inside Tidelands Health Center for Pediatric Development at Myrtle Beach and gazes up with determination at a series of vertical bars – equipment that resembles what you might see on a school playground.

Julian reaches his arms out and up, steadily gripping each bar until he extends farther up than ever, eliciting cheers from his mom, Elizabeth Powell, and physical therapist, Jenn Lewis. Born with two conditions that affect movement in his right side and some cognitive functions, Julian completes the exercise to help improve strength, coordination and flexibility – all keys to helping him successfully navigate daily life.

“It’s a new goal, and he’s really been working hard,” Elizabeth Powell said. “He loves coming to therapy in general, and now that he does have that extra equipment, it’s a different type of avenue that he can use. He enjoys it.”

The equipment that is playing such a pivotal role in Julian’s progress wouldn’t be available without generous donations to Tidelands Health from businesses, organizations and others in the community.

Thanks to a $21,000 donation from Intellect Resources, Tidelands Health Center for Pediatric Development locations in Myrtle Beach and Georgetown added the playground-like structures, swings, iPads and BlazePods, a collection of cylinders that light up randomly as a patient uses hands and feet to acknowledge each one – an exercise that can help improve coordination and motor skills.

“We want our gifts to be really focused on patients,” said Tiffany Crenshaw, president and CEO of Intellect Resources, a Greensboro, North Carolina-based firm providing health care staffing expertise and resources. “It’s important to give back and do good for others. We are all here to make patient care better.”

Tidelands Health Center for Pediatric Development provides specialized therapy for children with a variety of conditions, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, developmental delays and more.

From the latest technology such as the BlazePods to the climbing structure, the equipment helps young patients receiving physical, occupational or speech therapy by keeping them engaged and providing new challenges to aid their progress.

“One new thing really makes a big difference,” said Luann Mezzatesta, senior speech and language pathologist at Tidelands Health Center for Pediatric Development at Georgetown. “It’s just imperative that we grow and we meet the needs of those kids that are coming in our doors every day. We definitely could not do this without all of these donations.”

Nine-year-old Matthew Todd is using the latest technology to improve his speech.

Living with autism and ADHD, Matthew has made incredible improvements thanks to the specialized services that go beyond what is offered in school. With the help of a speech therapist, Matthew uses the new iPad to help with his articulation, providing a fun and motivating technique that he enjoys.

“He wouldn’t be speaking the way he is now without what he does here,” his father, Daniel Todd, said. “He’s come a long way.”

Therapy has made a world of difference for Julian, who was born with schizencephaly and an arachnoid cyst. He has learned how to use parts of the right side of his body and developed the skills to brush his teeth and bathe independently.

Now, thanks to the new equipment, Julian is developing strength in his arms and more use of his right arm to push himself up, which helps him make easier and safer moves at home, such as from bed to chair.

“My favorite is doing stretches. It feels really great,” Julian said after wrapping up a recent therapy session with more stretches using the new equipment and an exercise using BlazePods.

The equipment provides new challenges while keeping therapy fun and engaging — key components of therapy for these young patients.

“They learn through play,” Lewis said. “Anything we can do to help engage a child, engage our patients, is just one step closer to them reaching their full potential.”

As a not-for-profit health system, Tidelands Health relies on donations to help fund vital services, attract and retain skilled medical professionals and expand facilities to meet the needs of the growing region.

“Intellect Resources should be proud of the difference it is making in the lives of our young patients through this donation,” said Beth Conatser, philanthropy director at Tidelands Health. “Because of the firm’s desire to help others, our patients have access to new equipment and technology to support their therapy and help them live better lives. We are incredibly grateful to Intellect Resources for its ongoing partnership and support of our patients.”

Want to donate? Learn more here.