F&M Bank and its employees recently donated $9,000 to Heather Weers and Keep Wishin’ as part of the bank’s Charitable Organization Match Program. From left are Margie Simons, Trevor Hulett, Traci Worcester, Seth Wedewer, Ashley Faust, Jami Schlarmann, Karen Verhagen, Heather Bottelman, Weers, Lizy Doyle, Martha Gearhart, Marcy Pate, Ida Weber, Ashton Sulzner, and Lisa McQuillen. (Photo submitted)
January marks the one-year anniversary of “Keep Wishin’,” a non-profit organization in Jones County started by Heather Weers of Anamosa.
The 501(c)3 came about after Weers spent some precious time with her own grandfather fishing along the Wapsipinicon River shortly before he passed away.
That eventually led Weers to want to create an organization that helps family and friends of the elderly carry out a “wish” that they may not otherwise have a chance to experience.
Weers initially started working with care centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities throughout Jones County, wanting to grant wishes for those who are homebound or on hospice. With staffing changes within those facilities, she said it became hard to know who to contact.
Going forward, Weers plans to try and strengthen those relationships, and is open to granting wishes working with other participants as well.
In 2023, Keep Wishin’ granted four wishes, with a goal of increasing that even more in 2024 “to make a bigger impact.”
While there is an application process, Weers said it’s needed more for detailed information on the wish, as well as who might need to be included in granting the wish.
Keep Wishin’ grants three different categories of wishes:
• Simple Wishes. These might include such things as clothing, furniture, hearing aids, items not covered by insurance, Medicare, etc.
• Living Life Wishes. Examples might involve a ride on a motorcycle, going fishing, attending a ball game.
• Veterans’ Wishes. While a veteran’s wish could fall into either of the above categories, Weers differentiates these wishes as an opportunity to “thank veterans for what they have done and to show that we remember and care.”
Keep Wishin’ is able to grant such wishes thanks to the generosity of private donations and grants.
One such wish was granted in May 2023 for the family of Paula Meyer. Meyer, formerly of Morley, passed away on May 20 after battling lung and brain cancer. Her Living Life Wish was granted days before she passed away. Meyer’s wish was to have photos taken of her entire family. Weers contacted Dianna Rucker, Rucker Photography, of Monticello to assist in carrying out the wish.
“Family photos was something my mom had actually been talking about for a few months prior to when we did them,” shared Amy Kelter, Meyer’s daughter. “She wanted to do them on Mother’s Day weekend because that was a time that we always made sure to get together and celebrate the moms. Knowing how quickly her health was declining, I was reluctant to make any plans; however, when Heather brought it up (the wish) I knew it was a sign to jump on it.”
Keltner said her mom wanted to make sure her family had one lasting family photo.
In fact, Meyer was so excited for these photos that her close friend, Sheila Eden, bought her a new dress she had been eyeing from a local boutique.
After the photo session, Keltner said it was only a couple of days before Rucker sent the family the final, edited photos that could be used to order prints. But that was also when her mom took a turn for the worse.
“I couldn’t wrap my head around what (photos) we should order and what everyone would want,” shared Keltner. “Bless Heather’s heart because one day a package just showed up at my house, and she went ahead and ordered some (photos) for us. It was such a weight lifted! It was one less thing I had to think about. She just took care of it for me and they’re precious!”
“Sometimes we all just need a break from life to smile, whether that is the person receiving the wish, the caregiver, a bystander, etc.,” said Weers of why Keep Wishin’ is a needed organization. “The world needs more happiness, and this is just one way to spread that. Sometimes people in care centers, homebound, or on hospice don’t have family close by, or any family to do things with. Sometimes, family doesn’t think to ask what their wish would be. So, while I would like to do so much more, I will grant a wish and take a smile any time I can!”
Keltner said while it was a harsh reality to cope with knowing her mom’s final days were coming. Keep Wishin’ and Weers made it easy to make the immediate decision to just schedule their family photos.
“The donors to this program have no idea the impact they make by supporting it,” urged Keltner, knowing first-hand about that impact. “For us, those photos are the memories we will always hold on to. This wish truly was such a blessing.
To help Keep Wishin’ and Weers grant more wishes, donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 391, Anamosa, IA 52205. You can also reach out to Weers at jonescountykeepwishin@gmail.com.
“We would love to grant more wishes, so please help us spread the word, and if you know anyone who could use a wish, please let us know,” Weers said.
Editor’s Note: As I was working on this story about the one-year anniversary of Keep Wishin’ and how to help Weers spread the word about her fantastic organization, I was contacted by F&M Bank Marketing Director Mandy Pasker. F&M created a charitable organization themselves and recently donated $9,000 to Keep Wishin’ and Weers’ efforts. I felt it was ironic timing and fitting to share that news within this article.
In 2023, F&M Bank employees established the F&M Bank Employee Charitable Organization Match Program, a program in which bank employees voluntarily donate an amount of their choice with each paycheck. F&M Bank then matches the funds collected, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Keep Wishin’ was chosen as the 2023 recipient. A total of $9,000 was raised between the F&M Bank branch employees in Monticello and Anamosa, as well as the match from the bank.
“F&M Bank is passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, whether it be through volunteerism or donations,” said Lisa McQuillen. “We have a long-standing F&M Cares program established where employees donate money on Fridays to wear jeans. Our match program allows us to make even a larger impact to an organization chosen by our team members, through the collective generosity of our employees and the bank.”