4PeteSake » Previous Recipients

Fall ’18 Recipients

Suzanne Cody

Mikalah Banker

Bonnie Shouten

Renee Tertin

Linda Huff

Amy Peterson

Spring ’18 Recipients

Lawrence Frank

Karen McGee

Debra Hogan

Joni Sprecher

Fall ’17 Recipients

Theresa Rupp

Kathy Dale Popp

Susan Murry

Spring ’17 Recipients

Terrance Rogers

Juliet Hohneke

Fall ’16 Recipients

Brady Bloedow

Becki Miller

Duane Parkin

Jamie Rogers Beresford

Spring ’16 Recipient

Justin Taylor

In 2005, area nonprofit 4PeteSake got its start when the River Valley community rallied behind the idea that in a time of need, neighbors will step in and help each other out. 11 years ago that person in need was 20 year-old bone cancer survivor Peter Greenwood. Peter needed a new generation prosthetic leg that his insurance company wasn’t willing to pay for. Donations on Peter’s behalf during that inaugural Day in the Park event raised more than anyone anticipated – and far more than Peter’s family needed for the prosthetic. The money left over has been paid forward every year since, helping over 60 River Valley residents in their own time of need. This year’s 4PeteSake recipient is, like Greenwood, another young adult: Justin Taylor of Plain.

When Justin was 13, he was a seventh grader and a straight-A student. But then he developed a headache – an intensely painful migraine headache – that wouldn’t go away. He couldn’t get out of bed. Couldn’t go to school. Days passed. Weeks passed. Months. He was prescribed countless drugs. He tried acupuncture, meditation, yoga, chiropractics, nerve blocks. Nothing worked. Now he’s 17.

This was life until January when Justin was referred to a pain treatment center at the Mayo Clinic. The three-week clinic doesn’t offer a cure for pain; but it helps patients manage life with chronic pain. And it works. It worked for Justin.

4PeteSake has been able to help Justin’s family cover expenses incurred during his treatment and continued recovery.

Fall ’15 Recipients

Gaile Burchill

Spring Green’s Gaile Burchill has been in the business of helping others for nearly 20 years. A specialist in elder care, Burchill had to stop working in the spring of this year when she was struck with a chronic migraine and later suffered a concussion as the result of a fall. Damage to Burchill’s brain has left her severely fatigued and in need of long term rest and recovery. 4PeteSake has been able to help Gaile with household expenses during her convalescence.

Parker Goebel

Not long after her 14th birthday, Parker Goebel of Lone Rock, went to the Richland Center ER with a stiff neck and a tingling sensation in her fingertips. She was diagnosed with a virus and was sent home. When she started battling a high fever and a loss of mobility on her left side, her mom took her back to the hospital. She was sent home again. When her condition worsened, her parents took her to the Children’s Hospital in Madison, where she was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica. She spent the next 66 days in a hospital bed. Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) affects the optic nerve and the spinal cord, and can result in sight loss and paralysis, among other symptoms. After periods of recovery, people who suffer from NMO often experience unexpected relapses. With Parker’s care resulting in a significant lost income for parents Susan and Brian, 4PeteSake was able to help the Goebels get back on their feet as they adjust to Parker’s medical needs. Parker is currently stable and back in school.

Anna Hach

Spring Green’s Anna Hach feels lucky to have a good, full-time job. But with a disabled husband at home who requires significant care, even a full time job wasn’t enough to keep from getting behind on bills. But Hach didn’t reach out to 4PeteSake until this fall, after her husband Lester received a below the knee amputation of his right leg, requiring months of rehabilitation in Sauk City. Lester (also known as “Chip”) suffers from multiple ailments, including diabetes, fiber neuropathy and stage 3 kidney disease, and with this latest setback, Hach started to feel overwhelmed. Her home needed a new roof, and would need a new handicap ramp when her husband returned from rehab. To help Hach get through this challenging time, 4PeteSake was able to help catch her up on household expenses and contacted Sauk ADRC about helping Hach with a grant for the handicap ramp.

Betty Hill

When you’re on a fixed income, adding twice monthly trips to Madison for essential medical care can take a significant toll. Such was the case for Betty Hill of Spring Green, when she was diagnosed earlier this year with stage five kidney disease. (At Stage 5, the kidneys have lost nearly all their ability to function and transplant or dialysis becomes the only alternative.) With Hill’s limited resources going to pay for gas – and facing costly car repairs – she started to get behind on utility and other bills. As she readies herself and her home for a transition to dialysis, 4PeteSake has been able to help Hill with her car repair and transportation costs.

Nancy Nagler

Despite a history of illness that had kept her on disability, Nancy Nagler would tell you that she has lived a blessed life. A “career volunteer” originally from Prairie du Sac, Nagler moved to Spring Green in 2008. A variety of volunteer work was keeping Nagler busy and fulfilled until this past summer, when an extended hospital stay put a strain on her fixed income. 4PeteSake was able to help get her current on medical bills.

Loree and Brent Hendricks
Disabled, but not yet approved for Government Disability, Loree and Brent Hendricks of Lone Rock were in dire straights before reaching out to 4PeteSake this fall. Chronic neck and back issues had already sidelined Brent when Loree had to stop working in the summer of 2014 due to breathing difficulties brought on my chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 4PeteSake was able to help get the Hendricks caught up on household expenses as they await a decision on their applications for Disability.

Spring ’15 Recipients

DARLENE CONNORS

In 1994 and again in 1999, Spring Green’s Darlene Connors beat breast cancer only to see it return last May in her lungs, spine, and lymph nodes. The Plain native is currently on oxygen 24 hours a day and cancer-induced swelling and recurring infections often keep her in pain and largely incapacitated. When Social Security was failing to cover Darlene’s basic household expenses in addition to medical appointments and the fuel to get to them, 4PeteSake was able to help Darlene get a handle on utility bills and transportation costs.

MIKE GRATZ

In October of last year, Mike Gratz of Plain was diagnosed with stage five kidney disease. Gratz needed a kidney transplant. A year earlier, after 35 years and four and a half million miles, the career trucker had already been forced off the road when his already ailing kidneys made it impossible to manage his Type 1 diabetes. Mike had three good donor matches in his family, but circumstances required that the transplant surgery would not be able to take place for several months. With surgery imminent – and three to six months of recovery to follow – the father of four found it difficult to find work over the winter, making it difficult for his family to meet basic household needs. 4PeteSake helped Mike and his family get through this challenging time by helping out with household and other regular monthly expenses. Mike’s transplant surgery is tentatively scheduled for early June.

IRENE HILSTON

A burst appendix would be a harrowing experience for anyone, but for Spring Green’s Irene Hilston, it nearly cost her her life. Painful stomach ulcers had already forced the long-time area photographer and executive assistant to stop working, so when she initially experienced the appendix burst, she blamed her existing condition. After a near-death experience and a month long hospital stay, Hilston recovered, but returned home to overwhelming household expenses. With a granddaughter to care for and bills piling up, 4PeteSake was able to help ease some of Hilston’s burden during her time of need.

DOUG JENSEN

When Doug Jensen was born with 4P Syndrome, doctors told his mother Theresa that she shouldn’t expect him to live six months. Theresa Jensen devoted her life to her son’s care and remarkably, Doug, who lives in Lone Rock, turns 31 later this year. 4P Syndrome – also called Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome – affects many parts of the body, but it most significantly results in delayed growth and development and sometimes violent seizures. When Doug started to take a turn for the worse earlier this year, Theresa was forced to make expensive car repairs in order to get Doug to his frequent doctor visits. With Supplemental Security the family’s sole source of income, the auto repairs made it difficult for Theresa to pay for groceries and to heat her home. 4PeteSake helped Theresa with auto repairs and also made it possible for her to acquire more reliable transportation.

GARY WEISS
Plain’s Gary Weiss has been on the village’s EMS crew since its inception in 1977 and its chief since 1978. When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year, the long-time Kraemer Brothers employee had to go on long term disability, cutting his income by 40%. Faced with extraordinary medical bills, 4PeteSake was able to help Gary cover expensive COBRA-related costs, allowing him to retain affordable health insurance.

Spring ’15 Recipients

DARLENE CONNORS

MIKE GRATZ

IRENE HILSTON

DOUG JENSEN

2014 RECIPIENTS

Lori Dobson

Lori Dobson is a life-long resident of Arena, and her family owns the popular Grandma Mary’s Café there. She was a 4PeteSake recipient last year, and the funds she received were able to keep her going after she underwent a double mastectomy and had to be off work while she recovered from her surgery. In January, Lori had a hysterectomy, which necessitated her being out of work again for a number of weeks. With minimal financial assistance from 4PeteSake, Lori was able to stay in her home, heat it through the winter and have the peace of mind she needed to recover.

Ron Nagl

Ron and his wife, Cornelia, live in Spring Green. In 2003, Ron was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. He’s beaten the odds in surviving it, but a decade of treatment has taken a drastic toll on his finances and drained his savings account. Treatments in Madison and at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota mean that he and Cornelia must spend an exorbitant amount on gas. Also, their 2003 Buick is badly in need of repairs. 4PeteSake funds will be used to bridge the gap between his pension income and his treatment and household expenses.

Jon Knight

Jon Knight had an accident two years ago and sustained a broken back and other injuries. He has had several surgeries and has been unable to work since his accident. At the time of his accident he had just begun fixing up his home – work that he couldn’t finish after his accident and left him in less-than-ideal living conditions. Last fall, 4PeteSake partnered with Habitat for Humanity to make the most crucial repairs to make Jon’s house habitable. Additional funds from the spring funding round will allow for a few more repairs which will ensure that Jon’s house is safe and accessible, given his disability.

David and Sondra Strahl

In 2010, David Strahl was laid off from his job which he had held for more than 20 years. They managed to make ends meet, even after Sondra got laid off from her job as a daycare provider in Middleton in 2013. In August, David got a job as a janitor with the River Valley School District. But then, after only a few months on the job, David had a heart attack, followed by open heart surgery last November. He is currently undergoing cardiac rehab and just returned to work on May 1. Their financial straits have left them without funds to make some very important home repairs, including a roof that is bordering on dangerous. 4PeteSake funds have been used to repair their roof, windows and siding.

Alan Pink

In August, 2013, Alan Pink went to the doctor for pain in his left toe. The doctor couldn’t feel a pulse and referred him for more tests which led to surgery on his leg to correct the problem. He felt better for a few months, but the pain in his foot and leg came back last December, and in March he had to have his leg amputated. Alan’s managers and co-workers at Arena Cheese have been very understanding and put him in touch with 4PeteSake. 4PeteSake funds will be used for household expenses while Alan is out of work recovering from his surgery.