Wishes of sick children in three Midwest states will be granted due to the generosity of Rock Valley Physical Therapy.

Through the efforts of Rock Valley Physical Therapy staff, therapists, and patients – which span 61 clinics across three states – more than $70,000 has been raised to support Make-A-Wish Illinois, Make-A-Wish Iowa and Make-A-Wish Nebraska.

The vision of Make-A-Wish is to grant life-changing wishes to children with critical illness.

Check presentations to give away the $70,000-plus are scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 9 in Moline, and Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, in Omaha, Neb.

The $70,000-plus generated was a combined effort of staff and therapist creativity – bringing to light a myriad of fundraising projects – as well as patient involvement, payroll dedication programs and a matching gift by Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Board of Directors, according to a RVPT release.

In all, 11 Rock Valley clinics raised more than $1,000. Three raised over $2,000, and two clinics raised over $3,000. Rock Valley’s Silvis-based clinic led the way with $3,682 raised on behalf of Make-A-Wish.

The first donation will be given by Rock Valley Thursday, Nov. 9 at 2:30 p.m., at its clinic at 850 43rd Ave., Moline (directly behind Target). Checks will be presented to Make-A-Wish leaders from Make-A-Wish Iowa and Make-A-Wish Illinois.

The Dec. 15 presentation will be made at the Make-A-Wish 18th annual Star 104.5 Radiothon in Omaha.

“Leaving our communities better than we found them is why we do what we do at Rock Valley,” RVPT CEO Mike Horsfield said in the company release. “Seeing it happen one patient at a time and now one wish at a time is the reward for embracing this responsibility. I’ve never been so proud to work alongside this amazing group of people.”

“Thank you, Rock Valley Physical Therapy, for your commitment to making wishes come true,” said Sara Kurovski, president & CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa, speaking on behalf of the Iowa and Nebraska Make-A-Wish chapters.

“Make-A-Wish Iowa granted a record 198 wishes in fiscal year 2023 and we couldn’t have done it without the support of those like Rock Valley Physical Therapy. One of the amazing things about this team is they truly made each fundraiser their own,” Kurovski said. “At each of their 61 clinics across three states, they worked to make fun, creative and effective fundraisers to raise money for wishes and to make a difference in the life of a child with a critical illness.’’

Stephanie Springs, CEO of Make-A-Wish Illinois remarked, “We are so appreciative of Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s generous contribution to Make-A-Wish Illinois to bring more life-changing wishes to children with critical illness. The journey to hope and strength begins with a wish and is made possible through individual, corporate and community support like that of the Rock Valley Physical Therapy.”

Community support needed

This past fiscal year, Make-A-Wish Iowa granted 198 wishes, Make-A-Wish Nebraska granted 116 wishes, and Make-A-Wish Illinois granted 729 wishes. All three chapters received a record number of referrals this past fiscal year, however, so their work is far from over, the RVPT release said.

There are currently 2,030 children across Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois who are waiting for their wishes to be granted.

Community support is vital in ensuring Make-A-Wish can continue its mission of making wishes come true for children battling critical illnesses.

A granted wish gives kids the opportunity to look outside their illness, restoring a sense of childhood back to the child and normalcy back to the family, the Rock Valley release said. Research shows, and physicians across the globe have documented, that wishes can help improve a child’s quality of life and produce better health outcomes.

For more information on RVPT, click HERE. For more on Make-A-Wish, click HERE.

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