| Rice Lake Community Health Foundation awards therapy scholarships to Nature’s Edge through a matching grant |
Dear Friends,
I don’t need to tell you that these are trying times. But even as the Covid-19 pandemic impacts everyday life for all of us, there are still reasons to smile. At Nature’s Edge Therapy Center, we see smiles every day as we continue to provide essential speech and occupational therapy services for our patients and their families, even as we meet the challenges presented by Covid-19.
We see the smile on a patient’s face when he reaches his goal of tying his shoes all by himself after he had told us in frustration during his first occupational therapy session, “I will never be able to tie my shoes.” We see the smiles a family shares when, thanks to speech therapy and working with our wonderful animals, their loved one goes from being unable to make eye contact and introduce himself to not only being willing to introduce himself, but ready to initiate the conversation and then chat up a storm. Smiles happen at home and school too, as progress is continued through parent and teacher support. Successful therapy brings many smiles, even if these days the smiles sometimes happen behind a mask.
It has always been true that because of limitations in insurance coverage, not being able to afford insurance, or other difficult financial situations, many of our patients’ families could not afford treatment at Nature’s Edge without therapy scholarship assistance. This is even truer today as many in our community struggle with the financial consequences of the pandemic. And although Nature’s Edge remained open when schools and other therapy clinics closed, our inability to hold fundraisers this year due to the pandemic has made a big hole in our fundraising efforts.
But we have good news! Nature’s Edge has recently once again been awarded a matching grant for scholarship assistance from the Rice Lake Community Health Foundation. Scholarships such as those supported by the Foundation enable us to provide exceptional therapy to patients and their families who would otherwise be unable to afford it. The Foundation will match our donors’ contributions at $1.50 for each dollar, up to a total amount of $30,000. So when Nature’s Edge raises $20,000 from donor contributions, the Foundation will match each dollar at $1.50 and return $50,000 to Nature’s Edge to be used for scholarship assistance.
And there is even more good news. A private trust has stepped up to match that same $20,000 at $1.50 for each dollar and donate up to an additional $30,000 as a Generosity Pledge. This means that each $1 you donate this year toward patient scholarships becomes $4. Donor contributions totaling $20,000 will become $80,000!
You can help us keep the smiles coming at Nature’s Edge. Your generous donation will be applied exclusively to scholarship assistance. If you would like more information about Nature’s Edge or our therapy scholarship program, please call our office at 715-859-6670. Please visit our website to donate at; www.naturesedgetherapycenter.org or mail us payment to make checks payable to the Rice Lake Community Health Foundation to ensure our match.
On behalf of all of us at Nature’s Edge, thank you for your support. We wish you and your family health, safety and happiness. Together, we can overcome all things.
With gratitude,
Becky L. Payne MATCCC/SLP/HPCS – Director