Chiropractors have shown that they have a heart for children. The "Have a Heart" campaign to benefit the Oklahaven Children's Chiropractic Center began four years ago when a young chiropractor wanted to help raise money for the center. He went to a mall, asked for donations and displayed paper hearts with each donor's name. Dr. Angie Welikala, a Cleveland West chiropractic student, took the idea from there to the chiropractic colleges. In its second year, with her help, the campaign grew.
This year, our goal was to send our informational video to chiropractic offices around the nation, letting patients know about the benefits of chiropractic for the severely ill child. Oklahaven sees children with severe illnesses from all over the world, and chiropractic enables their bodies to heal and restore naturally, without the use of drugs.
The response to this year's drive campaign has touched the doctors and staff at Oklahaven. With more offices and all the chiropractic colleges participating four times more than in the previous year, the end result is nothing short of phenomenal!
The friendly competition between the participants for our Golden Heart Award is exhilarating. This year's recipients are Schwartz Family Chiropractic in Malverne, NY, and Life West in Hayward, CA. We are extremely grateful for these participants who collected the largest donations among DC offices and chiropractic colleges, and for their promptness in submitting their gifts.
Beyond the monetary aspect of this project, the awareness that our health is ultimately our responsibility is becoming better known. Through your generosity, more children have been helped, more chiropractors and families have become aware of the Oklahaven Children's Chiropractic Center and more children have come to the center for natural, chiropractic healing.
Our thanks go to all the doctors, students and chiropractic assistants who took time to share our promotional video and collect gifts, and to the individuals who have made the campaign a success. The health of children is our first priority. We are truly grateful to those of you who have enabled us to continue to help the children. The support of so many is heartwarming.
In 2002, Oklahaven will celebrate its 40th anniversary. As the plans take shape for the celebration, expectations are to expand the participation of the "Have A Heart" campaign. This is an opportunity for chiropractic offices, businesses, organizations and students to receive our nine-minute video, raise awareness of the benefits of chiropractic for children, and at the same time, raise funds for our ongoing service for severely ill children. With increased participation comes even more awareness of parents about the benefits of chiropractic for children. Please consider being a part of this life-changing effort by logging onto our website at www.chiropractic4kids.com.
Bobby Doscher,DC, and Paula Barnes
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
