A-Day charity funds serve local girl
A week of service will bring comfort to a young girl in need.
Jennifer Swenson, vice president of A-Day activities, was charged with finding a child to raise money for during A-Day activities. A-Day is sponsored by the Student Alumni Association and is a week of service for the community.
A-Day always raises funds for someone in need of financial help in medical costs in Cache County, Swenson said.
One committee member came to Swenson with a few names of children who went to physical therapy at Cache Kids, an IHC pediatric clinic. After some research, Swenson and the committee decided on 10-year-old Brooke Jorgenson.
“Brooke was born with cerebral palsy and has received treatment and been in therapy since birth,” Swenson said. “Due to her condition, Brooke is always in a wheelchair and has a pump that was surgically implanted in her stomach to relax the muscles.”
Every three months Brooke has to go to Salt Lake City to have the pump filled at Primary Children’s Hospital, she said.
Swenson said Brooke is also going to be having a second surgery soon to lengthen the tendons in her legs. But through all of her trials, Brooke is always smiling. She enjoys coloring, drawing, being in the water and playing on the computer.
An original hope for the A-Day committee was to raise enough money to help Cache Kids, but Swenson said, unfortunately the money from the corporate sponsors fell through.
“Our hope was to help several children through Cache Kids with the corporate sponsorships, but we are now working on helping Brooke,” Swenson said.
Kim Kresie, Brooke’s mother said there are many different children with so many different disabilities who need different equipment.
“New equipment is needed to make the children’s lives as full as possible,” she said.
With the right equipment, the children can succeed, and to see the children succeed is irreplaceable, Kresie said.
“For example, computer keyboards and joysticks are needed to help the children with their dexterity, and special bikes and balls for the children will help stretch their muscles,” she said.
Swenson said during A-day, students will be going through several neighborhoods doing chores for change. On campus they will be selling Ping-Pong balls for a $1 raffle.
Ryan Shupe and the Rubber band will hold a benefit concert with Maren Ord during the week of service and donation jars will be in several local businesses and gas stations, Swenson said.
“This is a really good cause, and Brooke is a great girl,” she said. “Hopefully we can raise a lot of money.”
-kassrobison@cc.usu.edu