St. Anthony’s Hospital, in Effingham, recently received a donation of $1000 in toys and educational/physical development items from Jake and Roger Buhnerkempe of J&R Collision Centers in Effingham, Shelbyville, and St. Louis. The items will benefit St. Anthony’s Physical Rehabilitation and Wellness Department located at the Workman Sports and Wellness Complex.
The donated items will be utilized by St. Anthony’s therapists in their early intervention therapy program. The program helps children, infant to age three, that have gross and fine motor, sensory, and speech developmental delays. The new toys, and other items, will help therapists provide consistent treatment for each individual child. In the past, the items had to be shared which caused variations in treatment.
“Our therapy services to children in our community have grown significantly. While we had therapy toys and items to provide their treatment, the therapists did not have all the resources to creatively treat the wide variety of patients they encounter on a daily basis,” said Candy Jansen, St. Anthony’s Director of Rehabilitation and Wellness. She went on to explain that the donated items will help provide customized care for kids in the Wellness Department. “Receiving these items allows the therapists to develop supplemental individualized plans of care and help their patients progress in their treatment, using more challenging concepts in a fun way.”
The donated items and (left to right) St. Anthony’s pediatric therapists Sarah Buhnerkempe, Occupational Therapist, Keli Dhom, Physical Therapist, and Teresa Beck, Speech Therapist; Jake Buhnerkempe, Co-owner, J&R Collison Centers; Candy Jansen, St. Anthony’s Director of Rehabilitation and Wellness; Michael Wall, St. Anthony’s Director of Philanthropy; Scott Sapp, General Manager, J&R Collison Centers, Effingham; and Daniel Norton, General Manager, J&R Collison Center, Shelbyville.
