Obituary: Jeanne Hendrickson of Robbinsdale

Service was Jan. 30, 2013 at Gearty-Delmore Plymouth Chapel. Memorials are preferred to the Courage Center in Golden Valley.

Jeanne Hendrickson of Robbinsdale Dec. 13, 1926 - Jan 25, 2013 Preceded in death by her husband, Harry, of nearly 60 years and parents, Art and Hilda Bolier.  Survived by her children, Rick,Ron (Gigi), Lori Wachter (Rob), Bob (Kathy) Lisa Bartz (Pete); 11 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren and her sister Carol Wirt.  Memorials are preferred to the Courage Center in Golden Valley.  Private interment at Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. Service was Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013 at Gearty-Delmore Plymouth Chapel in Plymouth. Information was provided by Gearty-Delmore Plymouth Chapel.

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Courage Center To Merge With Sister Kenny

The Golden Valley-based organization announced the proposed merger last week.

In a statement made late last week, Golden Valley-based Courage Center announced that their organization will soon be merging with Allina Health's Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. Sister Kenny is an institute that specializes in various types of rehabilitation in eight different hospitals throughout Minnesota. According to the statement, boards of directors for both Courage Center and Allina Health approved the merger, though it won't be complete until the spring of 2013. “We are thrilled about what the coordinated strengths of our organizations will mean to the community,” Penny Wheeler, chief clinical officer of Allina Health, said in the statement. “By combining the two, we blend the clinical care expertise of Sister Kenny with …

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Letter: Courage Center Supports Bottineau Transitway

Courage Center CEO Jan Malcolm says that the transitway would increase transportation options to Courage Center.

I am writing to express Courage Center’s strong support for the selection of the B-C-D1 alignment of the Bottineau Transitway as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). We see the proximity of this proposed line to our Golden Valley location as a huge benefit to our clients, employees, and the community at large. As Minnesota’s largest independent nonprofit rehabilitation services provider, serving more than 12,000 individuals each year, we understand that access to reliable transportation is critical to the independence of those with disabilities and complex medical conditions. Our customers rely heavily on public transit and Metro Mobility to access our Golden Valley programs. A 2011 examination of Metro Mobility data showed an average …

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The Fonz Shared Personal Stories at Courage Center

About 150 people gathered last week to listen to Henry Winkler speak about his mother's struggle with upper limb spasticity.

We know Henry Winkler from Happy Days as The Fonz. But last week, people got to know the actor on a much more personal level. For an hour and a half, Winkler spoke to a crowd at Golden Valley's Courage Center about his mother's struggle with a debilitating condition called upper limb spasticity. According to Open Arms, an awareness group, the condition causes stiffness and muscle tightness in the upper limbs of nearly 1 million Americans. Winkler spoke about treatments like Botox that, if offered years ago, could have restored his mother's self esteem. "I've never seen anyone more generous with their time," said Ryan Hoffman, marketing and media relations specialist at Courage Center. "It meant so much to our clients." Hoffman said that …

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Local Paralympic Swimmer Wins Silver in London

Golden Valley native and Hopkins High School graduate Anna Eames added a silver medal from London's Paralympic Games to her collection from Beijing.

If anyone knows what it's like to be in pain, it's probably 21-year-old Anna Eames. Born with fibular hemimelia, the length of Eames' legs are uneven. She has three toes on her right foot, an abnormal ankle joint and hip dysplasia. Eames has undergone 20-some surgeries. But Eames' physical challenges have not been a road block. Today, she's an American record holder, a collegiate swimmer and now a bronze, silver and gold Paralympic medalist. "I started swimming when I was 5 years old because it was an activity I could do without pain," Eames said. "I've been doing it ever since." When Eames was a senior at Hopkins High School, she won her first gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games in the 100 meter butterfly. Her time, 1:09.26, was an…

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Courage Center Athletes to Compete in London's Paralympic

Golden Valley's Courage Center announced that a number of local athletes will represent the United States in London's Paralympics.

PHOTOS: Courage Center's New Ball Park

On Aug. 9, residents gathered at the Todd Anderson Field to celebrate the opening of the Courage Center's wheelchair accessible softball field.

Made especially for people in wheelchairs, the Todd Anderson Field in Brooklyn Park is the first of its kind in Minnesota, mimicking a tennis court with flat surfaces and easy-to-round bases. On Aug. 9, people gathered to celebrate the field with the Rolling Twins. Do you have photos from the event? Add them to our gallery, courtesy of the Courage Center. RELATED:  State's First Competitive Wheelchair Ball Field Becomes a Reality Courage Center to Inaugurate New Ball Field Courage Center's Rolling Twins Will Get A Field Of Their Own

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State's First Competitive Wheelchair Ball Field Becomes a Reality

Golden Valley-based Courage Center will celebrate the new field with a grand opening on August 9 at Northwoods Park in Brooklyn Park. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.

The Courage Center’s Rolling Twins wheelchair softball teams finally have a new field to call home. Made especially for people in wheelchairs, the Todd Anderson Field in Brooklyn Park is the first of its kind in Minnesota, mimicking a tennis court with flat surfaces and easy-to-round bases. The Rolling Twins won a $200,000 grant through the Major League Baseball/Pepsi Refresh Project. That funding made a new field possible. A ground breaking ceremony took place last year. "For more than 35 years, Courage Center wheelchair softball athletes dreamed of having a home field," Courage Center representatives said on their website. "The field helps demonstrate the community’s commitment to create opportunities for all." What to expect at the …

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Robotics Whiz Kid Heads to College

Aaron Redepenning, the captain of Courage Center's robotics team, will use his mad science skills in college.

Congratulations to Aaron Redepenning, captain of the Blizzard robotics team for the 2011-12 season, for being accepted to St Thomas University in the fall. He declared engineering as his major. Aaron has been a valuable asset to Courage Center’s robotics programs, which have a unique emphasis on including youth with disabilities. Aaron was a mentor for the Abilitybots program in 2009, 2010, and intermittently in 2011. As a mentor, he was able to help the younger team members develop their ideas, troubleshoot problems, and teach the students how to program their robots. Aaron was a founding team member for the Blizzard for the 2011 competition. He served on the build team, fabricating and assembling components for the robot. Because of …

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Courage Center to Inaugurate New Ball Field

The Minnesota Rolling Twins will have a new field to play on.

Courage Center is planning a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Minnesota’s first softball field for competitive wheelchair play. The softball team, Minnesota Rolling Twins, won a $200,000 grant through the Major League Baseball/Pepsi Refresh Project. That funding made a new field possible. A ground breaking ceremony took place last year. The ball field will be named after Todd Anderson. According to a Courage Center press release, Anderson was a recognized expert and innovator in the design of artificial limbs. A motorcycle accident left him as a single leg amputee. He went back to school to become a prosthesis maker and became active in adaptive sports, particularly wheelchair softball, in which he went on to help win …

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