Curative In The News
Curative Care Network Celebrates 100 Years of Helping People Thrive
April 30, 2019 | MILWAUKEE, WIS – Curative Care Network will be celebrating its 100-year Anniversary at a sold-out gala event at the Wisconsin Club on Wednesday, May 1st.
Northwestern Mutual is the premiere silver sponsor of the event, and numerous local businesses and community organizations have also sponsored the event.
Curative began with a courageous woman, Elizabeth Upham Davis, who founded the Junior League Curative Workshop, inspired by her exposure to rehabilitation work in world WWI military hospitals.
Davis, along with the support of her fellow Junior League of Milwaukee colleagues opened Curative Workshop in 1919 to provide what is known today as occupational therapy for children.
Curative has enjoyed a rich history, providing therapy for young victims of polio in the 1920s, injured veterans and industrial workers during World War II and for generations of children and adults with developmental disabilities.
The organization has grown from a one room cottage on the east side of Milwaukee to a leading community resource that provides compassionate programs for children, adults and seniors with limiting conditions in Milwaukee and surrounding counties.
Community partnerships have been the cornerstone of the organization’s success. Curative has been a United way recipient since 1926 and in 1960, the Kiwanis Foundation of Metropolitan Milwaukee established the Kiwanis Children’s Division of The Curative Workshop. This partnership grew over the years, and in 1976 Curative was the first organization to move to a new building on the campus of what is now the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, thanks to the generous support from the Kiwanis Foundation and numerous community sponsors.
Today as Curative celebrates its 100-year anniversary, the organization is well known for providing innovative, goal-oriented programs dedicated to helping people of all abilities thrive.
Programs like the largest Birth to Three in the state, where children with special needs benefit from early intervention with occupational, speech and physical therapies.
Curative’s Adult Day Programs provide a safe and supportive environment for people with cognitive disabilities, and Curative trains adults with disabilities to work on its landscaping crew or at its commercial services assembly plant.
Curative’s Senior Center provides day-time respite for families who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, dementia and memory loss. It gives seniors an opportunity to express themselves through art and music and to enjoy fellowship with friends.
Curative’s pediatric case management team has improved countless lives by connecting children with special needs and their parents to vital community resources.
In 2015, Curative acquired New Berlin Therapies, an organization that shared a similar mission and passion for bettering the lives of people with disabilities or limiting conditions. This move brought Curative back to its roots, providing restorative medical therapy for some of the most vulnerable in our society.
The organization changed its name several times, and in 2001 it became Curative Care Network, the name it currently operates under. “Every day I am inspired by the life-changing work that we do at Curative to fulfill our mission to improve the function and quality of life for people with disabilities or limiting conditions.” said Curative Care Network President and CEO Candace Hennessy, PhD, RN. “The need for our services has never been greater.”
Since 1919, Curative helped improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, Curative is hosting a sold out 100 Year Gala Fundraising Event at the Wisconsin Club on May 1, 2019. It will also be introducing the Elizabeth Upham Davis Award, recognizing a compassionate individual who is committed to bettering the lives of people with disabilities or limiting conditions in our community.
View our History Video
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