Inside a Davenport, Iowa, building dedicated to bringing music into our lives, harmony, goodness, and growth is alive just three flights up.
And there is fitness.
Every Tuesday at 1:40 p.m., adaptive physical fitness is provided by a wonderful pair of Rock Valley Physical Therapy athletic trainers to a group of willing participants.
And there is compassion, care and humor involved in every 30-minute-plus session.
It’s giggles galore.
At 131 W 2nd Street – on floor No. 3 – Empower House, Iowa’s only brain injury clubhouse, rests.
A from-the-heart operation founded and led by a band of phenomenal rehabilitation professionals, Empower House works to assist brain-injury survivors to reconnect into life’s many pathways. It promotes independence and shares many opportunities for members to return to a sense of normalcy.
Empower House lives because some amazing people understand a brain tumor, or an accident that leads to brain injury, is sometimes hard for those affected to resume their normal life.
“We saw that locally – and across the country for that matter – a need for greater services to assist brain injury survivors,” said Claire Motto Steil, MNA, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS, an upbeat and caring dynamo, who serves as Empower House Executive Director.
Motto Steil, a psychology and Speech-Language Pathology graduate from St. Ambrose University, also holds a Masters of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Motto Steil is a medical professional who, while grasping one side of making a difference, went back to school to gather all she could on the business side to better share– and protect – the Empower House mission.
“Brain injury survivors are often left with a “what is next?” question,” added Motto Steil. “There were few options out there locally and statewide until Empower House. Even nationally, we are the furthest West option. It was time to take that step, and we have – with the help of many – done all that we can to bring awareness and offer something that was lacking in years past. There is more that we can do.’’
Motto Steil and Empower House founders have brought to life – using the Clubhouse Model – an organized, structured system that lives by the belief everyone has something to contribute and brain injury survivors are not defined by their injury.
Members engage in a structured, “work-ordered’ day, revolving around kitchen, business, and maintenance units, respectively.
Each member chooses a daily job and helps with answering the phone, working on upcoming Empower House events, attendance duties, ordering groceries, planning, and prepping meals – and cleaning up – and general maintenance.
Everyone at Empower House has a purpose. Camaraderie, it must be noted, is at every turn.
“Everyone has a job,” Motto Steil said. “Meals are planned and carried out, assisting with guests and incoming calls and upkeep of the individual spaces. It is truly a team effort. I love what we do here in the clubhouse setting as well as our community outreach. It is rewarding, but we have so much more we want to accomplish.’’
Every Tuesday, Empower House takes on a special look. A mid-afternoon fitness session.
United by one of Empower House’s signature outreach events – its annual Halloween-inspired Spooktacular – Rock Valley and Empower House found a way to better the lives of those served.
“This partnership grew from that one event – our Spooktacular – and it is something our members look forward to,” Motto Steil said of the weekly fitness sessions. “It’s natural with both sides being therapist-led.’’
Kaelene Kragenbrink- Voorhees ATC, LAT, CES, FMS, Athletic Trainer Davenport Assumption High School, and Mariane Tressoldi Moschetta, Athletic Trainer Alleman High School, have made it their mission to better the lives of Empower House Clubhouse members.
The two lead the weekly fitness sessions, and while making a difference in members’ lives, the two also have great fun.
“I want you close so I can make sure you do every exercise,” Moschetta said to an Empower House Clubhouse member named Tim.
Moschetta and Tim – much to other members and the Empower House staff’s delight – were in the middle of a humorous – and fun-loving – back and forth. It was one of that day’s highlights.
“Teaching fitness classes at the Empower House is a profound experience about sharing the incredible strength and resilience of the human spirit,” Moschetta added. “Being part of this journey and helping individuals achieve things they once thought impossible is an absolute honor. Each small step forward and every hard-earned victory is a testament to the extraordinary potential of our minds and bodies. There is nothing more rewarding than hearing someone say they are walking more than they have in years, standing up unassisted, not getting as tired as they used to or simply lifting that affected arm more than they have in a while. The people we work with have faced unimaginable challenges, yet they show up with determination, ready to exercise, laugh, and grow stronger every day.’’
Giving back to the Empower House is about so much more than teaching a class for the two compassionate ATs, it is about helping people rediscover their strength, reclaim their potential, and believe in what they can achieve.
“Working with Empower House has been so fulfilling,” said the ever-upbeat Kragenbrink-Voorhees. “The organization helps people re-engage into the community, build relationships, and gain independence after brain injury. I am honored to be a part of this group and have the privilege to get to know some of the members. The clubhouse is so inviting and every week I leave with a full heart and a smile on my face.’’
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller