Pewaukee girl's gymnastics gym wish comes true
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - At the Schirpke's family home in Pewaukee, little Everlie had, perhaps, one of the best days of her life.
About a year ago, she made a wish. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, it finally came true.
What the 6-year-old dreamed of having was her own gymnastics space in her house. Down in the basement, she got just that. There were monkey bars, a rock wall, foam pit, tumble mat and much more for Everlie and her three sisters.
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"It was really exciting," said Becky Schirpke, Everlie's mom. "She was pretty shy at first. She was like, ‘I can come down?’"
"I think when she finally just realized it and with her jumping on the monkey bars, it was just like, wow, it's finally here," said Josh Schirpke, Everlie's dad. "Just to see her (reaction) was great."
Everlie Schirpke's home gymnastics gym in Pewaukee
And her favorite part of the gym?
"The foam pit," said Everlie.
It was all made possible by Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, Riley Construction in Waukesha and NEXT Electric.
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"I love seeing a wish be granted because the smile, the expression, the excitement, the energy is just, it’s palpable," said Forrest Doolen, senior director of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. "You know that that wish is making an impact on that child’s life."
This was to help Everlie, who has cystic fibrosis. She was diagnosed when she was just 15 months old.
"Cystic fibrosis is a chronic genetic disease," said Becky. "It affects every cell in the body, but Everlie's lungs and respiratory and her digestive system have been the most impacted. She has to do treatments twice a day when she's healthy, and when she gets sick, it is up to four times a day."
A year ago, Everlie's parents reached out to Make-A-Wish.
Plan for Everlie Schirpke's home gymnastics gym in Pewaukee
"She kind of knew what she wanted right away," said Becky. "She loves gymnastics. She wanted something where she can be active. She's like, ‘This world is my jungle gym,’ and she is constantly all over the place, so this will be a dream come true for her."
Everlie wants to be a gymnast when she grows up, so her forever gym started with a sketch that Becky drew up.
"We kind of browsed online, looking at cool gymnastics equipment, figuring out what she liked," said Becky.
"It was just a little sketch on a piece of paper, and then I had my technology guy put a model together because I always feel like, for most people, to see things in 3D, it really comes together," said Ben Kossow, president of Riley Construction. "We showed that to Everlie and the family, and they're like, 'Yep. That's what we want to do.'"
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After making the renderings, construction started. In just a week, Everlie had her own space to do her gymnastics.
"When she gets sick, she can get like, super very bad sick, so especially in the winter months that are very long here in Wisconsin, this will be a safe place for her to still get some energy out," said Becky. "We can't really go to indoor playgrounds."
Exercise with her cystic fibrosis is extremely important.
"Cystic fibrosis is progressive, so right now, technically, she's like, the healthiest she'll ever be," said Becky. "Exercise is very important in clearing out the lungs, and it'll help keep her healthy in the long run."
Everlie Schirpke's home gymnastics gym in Pewaukee
The dream gym will also double as a family space.
"When their friends come over, they get excited, like, ‘Oh, we get to go over to their house because they have that gymnastics room,’ you know, so it's kind of one of those where it might be the popular house on the block for a little bit," said Josh.
A little girl with lots of fight and a zest for life is getting a lift when she needs it the most.
"I think she's our strongest kid," said Becky. "She doesn't let anything stop her. 'Watch me.' That's her."