Inside pages - Allina Health

4
“I can help you with that.”
Joel Guptill
If a child’s initiative and persistence are any indication of future success, then
Joel Guptill is destined to be a Twin Cities “mover and shaker.” Joel is an
exuberant 10 year old boy from Blaine, MN where he is a fourth-grader at
Madison Elementary School. He also happens to receive therapy at the
Kenny Kids Rehabilitation Program, Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at
Mercy Hospital. At the age of two, Joel was diagnosed with developmental
apraxia, a neurological disorder that has affected his speech. He attends
speech therapy weekly and usually spends about 10 minutes in the therapy
gym area before heading on to school.
It was while using the gym space that he saw a need. The rehabilitation
program had moved from the hospital’s lower level to the first floor. This
move helped with the program’s accessibility for children and parents, but it
was now in a smaller space. Joel saw that they needed a new exercise floor
mat and new air walk therapeutic swing to make the best use of the new
space. So he came up with a fund raising idea and
embarked on his own initiative, raising over $500 to
purchase the equipment. Joel’s family is not surprised
that he came up with the fund raising idea. His
family says, “He’s always had a big heart.”… “he has
so much …compassion for others.” While at therapy,
Joel has been very attentive to the needs of others,
sharing and taking turns in the gym area.
Joel delivering donation to the
Foundation
Kenny Kids is the only program that addresses the
multi-service rehabilitation needs of children within
the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area and
within the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. The
program treats over 200 children each week with
physical therapy, occupational therapy and speechlanguage
therapy. Children from birth to age 18 are
treated for a wide variety of conditions including
cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, autism, feeding and
swallowing disorders, traumatic brain injury, nerve
injuries and impairments, congenital anomalies,
Joel and his family
speech and language disorders, general developmental
delays, and therapies after orthopedic corrective surgeries. Children within a 60 mile radius are served at this clinic.
Families are assisted in securing adapted equipment, augmentative communication devices and mobility systems.
Joel is a perfect example that everyone can make a difference. For Joel, “Making Lives Work Through Play”
is a reality.
Individuals interested in donating to the Kenny Kids programs should contact the Foundation at 763.236.8199.