A Look Back at 2024

What a year! 2024 kept the On With Life team busy, but it also brought so much joy and excitement to our organization. On With Life is committed to furthering our programming and care to provide the best experience possible for those we serve, and the below highlights capture that dedication. We are looking forward to a new year and continued growth, as well as the little day-to-day moments that remain at the heart of what we do. Happy New Year from On With Life!

Top 10 2024 Moments

10. Updated Mission Statement

This year we updated our mission statement to be more inclusive of the conditions we serve – “Joining hands, hearts, and minds to help persons living with brain injury or other neurological conditions get On With Life.”

9. Contribution to CBIS Training

This past summer the sixth edition of the Essential Brain Injury Guide, which is used for the Certified Brain Injury Specialists (CBIS) training, was released with the help of On With Life staff! Dave Anders and Angie Jackson, who both sit on the Academy for Certified Brain Injury Specialists Board, were authors of the new guide along with fellow On With Life employees Tammy Miller and Dr. Dave Demarest. Approximately 1,800 healthcare professionals will use this guide every year!

8. 10^th Annual Celebrate Life event

In September over 400 individuals joined us as we “cheered to 10 years” for the 10^th Annual Celebrate Life event! It was a fun, inspiring evening, and we were able to raise over $180,000. Click here to view the powerful stories that were shared the night of!

7. Hosting National Courses

On With Life held two national courses at our training center this year– the LSVT Big and Loud Certification Course and the Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist training. Between the two we didn’t just have individuals from all over the country at our facility in Ankeny – we had individuals from all over the WORLD!

6. Awards

On With Life was honored to receive many awards this year, including the innovationIOWA Award from the Des Moines Business Record, the Des Moines Register Top Workplace award for the twelfth time, and the Corridor Business Journal’s Coolest Places to Work award!

5. John Deere Tractor

After months of planning, On With Life finally became home to a new John Deere Tractor/Combine device in the spring of 2024. This project was the brainchild of a person served and was made into a reality with the support of his family and John Deere. Now, persons served will be able to utilize this addition to our therapy grounds for years to come. Click here to learn more about the story behind it.

4. Lucky

While we were sad to see On With Life therapy dogs Boo and Lolo retire this past year, we were thrilled to welcome our newest team member – Lucky! Lucky is currently in training with the goal of becoming a certified therapy dog after she turns one, and in the meantime has done an excellent job of bringing joy to persons served!

3. Extreme Build

It has been an enormous blessing to have two, brand-new family houses on our Ankeny campus thanks to Hubbell Reality Company and the Homes of Hope Hubbell Extreme Build. These houses came together in less than one week this past fall with the help of hundreds of volunteers and supporters. Click here to view a recap of this amazing project!

2. New Horizons

On July 1, On With Life officially partnered with New Horizons to add day programming to our continuum of care. Our day services at On With Life at New Horizons Center provide daily care and recreational therapy to individuals, supporting them on their journeys towards purposeful living. Click here to learn more about our newest program.

1. Long-Term Care Program Move

And finally, our Long-Term Skilled Care program made the move from Glenwood to our brand-new facility in Polk City this year. Transporting this fragile group of persons served was a huge undertaking, but our team was able to execute and successfully bring all persons served to their new home. All 40 beds in this new facility are full, and numerous memories have already been made. Click here to view photos of our beautiful new home.