"Promoting inclusivity is so important, and that’s what makes Joni’s Wish so special. It is critical to teach children to accept and love others who may look and play differently than they do, and Joni’s Wish highlights how beautiful those friendships can be. This book also does a wonderful job of capturing everything Variety is about: our mobility program where we provide specialized bikes/equipment and traditional bikes to children in need, our grant and van program where we provide funding to children’s organizations, our partnership with local hospitals to help critically ill children, the inclusive playgrounds we’ve built throughout Iowa, and our history with the Variety Telethon. This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to teach love and acceptance to the children in their lives!”

- Sheri McMichael, Executive Director of Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa

Charlie's Story

"It was the summer of 2019. We were marking our one year anniversary of moving to Iowa. Charlie was in the process of completing his third therapeutic intensive with ChildServe. The first two have been in the Universal Exercise Unit (UEU), and the final was using a borrowed gait trainer from our local Area Education Association. These intensives helped Charlie to gain strength. He had begun to crawl and was attempting to pull to a stand. 

Unfortunately, the gait trainer we were using was no longer going to be available to us. Our loan period was going to expire. We needed to apply for a new piece of durable medical equipment through insurance. With the help of our physical therapist, we applied for a new gait trainer. We were hugely disappointed to learn that the equipment was denied by both of our insurances. It had been deemed not medically necessary. We felt derailed and deflated by the news. Our months of hard work, traveling to therapy as many as 7 times a week and all of the sacrifices our family had made were evaporating before our eyes. I recall crying in the small room where the UEU is located, next to the elephant gym at ChildServe. I felt as though we were running out of options for Charlie. 

It was then that our therapist, Katie, suggested we apply for a mobility grant with Variety- the Children’s Charity of Iowa. While I had heard of “Variety” and I remember seeing the telethon on tv as a child, I couldn’t recall what the organization really did. Katie helped us to apply for the grant. I had no idea if our application would be approved.

It was a drizzly afternoon in October when my phone rang. Sheri McMichael, the CEO of Variety, called to inform us that our grant application had been approved. She invited us to an award event at Holmes Murphy in November, 2019. That event was the beginning of a life- changing relationship and partnership with Variety. At the grant awards event Charlie received a bright blue medium Rifton Pacer Gait Trainer. The trainer cost well over $3000. It was a piece of equipment we desperately wanted but well beyond our financial means. Upon being placed in the gait trainer he began to walk around the event, exploring the facility and flashing his smile at anyone that would look his way. 

Although we were entering into the cold winter months, we had our new equipment and new found hope. We began walking indoors at our local community center. Within a short time, Charlie was cruising the hallways. By the time spring 2020 arrived he had gained enough strength that he walked around the block for the first time. His gait trainer was his “gym on wheels” allowing us to take walks as a family and become a part of our community. Everywhere we went people would ask questions about the amazing piece of equipment, especially if Charlie was flashing one of his famous smiles. 

In June 2020 we applied for a second grant. This time we requested a bicycle that would allow Charlie and I to keep up with his older sister on her bright red bike that she had received from Variety. Charlie’s new found mobility had us yearning to get out on the bike trail as a family. We wanted to be able to keep up with his older sister as she raced along the bike trails that we walked upon. In November 2020 Charlie was awarded a blue Freedom Concepts Tandem bicycle. This bicycle allows Charlie and I to ride with his older sister. Again, the gift of his bike has given us so much more than bike rides with his sister. We have been able to connect with our larger community. We rode 8 miles in the Mayor’s Tour de Grimes, an annual bike ride around Grimes. During that event we were able to educate our city council members about the need for more inclusive restroom accommodations at their facilities. As a result, all new public buildings in Grimes will include a height adjustable adult size changing table. This was made possible as a result of our ability to be out in the community. This was made possible because of our Variety grants. 

Today Charlie is on the cusp of walking independently. He is able to climb up on the couch, walk around the block with minimal support and explore the play equipment in our backyard. None of these major developmental milestones would have been possible if it weren’t for the support of Variety- the Children’s Charity of Iowa. While the book Charlie appears in is entitled Joni’s Wish our family feels as though our wishes and dreams are coming true as a result of our partnership with Variety- the Children’s Charity of Iowa and for that we are eternally grateful."

- Nancy Curtis, Charlie's mom

Alma's Story

“Riding bikes is always something we have done as a family. With our older two boys, Alma’s brothers, that meant riding to the park and neighbor’s homes. It meant learning how to ride in the middle of the street or in an empty parking lot. When Alma turned 4, you could see she was itching to gain that same sense of freedom she saw her brothers have on their bikes. We knew it would be difficult with her cerebral palsy, but we looked into options like tricycles, pedal bikes, etc. Despite her determination, her hemiplegia was preventing her from not only the pedaling but the balance riding a bike of any kind required.

At her weekly physical therapy appointments, she started to ride around the halls in this same adaptive bike they had at the Children’s hospital. Every week, she would ride out to the waiting room, or even the parking lot to meet me on her bike, with her therapist. She GLOWED. You could see her focus, and her excitement when she would crack a smile because it was uncontainable. She was serious, yet so joyful. We noticed that what she was really in need of was a bike she could hold onto with one hand, a bike where she could use the strength of her left leg to propel the pedals, and a bike where she could be safely strapped in and balanced. This bike had all of those accommodations.

When we found out she would be gifted one from Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa, it was so emotionally overwhelming as a parent. We were overcome with so much gratitude; she was about to experience an activity that brings a sense of independence to kids that we may take for granted.

She received her bike in November, and we waited for the perfect day where she could give it her first ride at home. In Iowa, we didn’t have to wait long before the weather had a change of mind. We simply rode to the park. Her brothers on their bikes leading the way, and her little sister hanging on tight in the basket below. She was a part of the gang. She was equally included. She was independent and taking part in an activity we weren’t sure was going to be possible for her.

This bike, as overzealous as it might sound, has been life changing, because being able to ride a bike, to a 5 year old, IS life changing. Giving her the accommodations she needed has allowed her to enjoy a simple activity that is pivotal in her childhood. Equity is freedom.

She still asks every day to ride her bike, and now has rained enough strength to steer herself and brake. So now, she flies down the sidewalk, wind blowing and all, to show us how awesome she is. And, although a year older, her 2-year-old sister, still likes to squeeze down below in the basket for the (probably) not-so-safe ride.”

– Amanda Biermann, Alma’s mom