March 5,2024 Chamber Matters

Rooster Booster, sponsored by Wendell Foster, to feature Russell Hoyt, President & CEO of The Hoyt Foundation

to expanding its services to meet the needs of the community. Because of the exceptional level of care for residents in Wendell Foster’s Immediate Care Facility, the waiting list of individuals needing this service continues to grow each year. Unfortunately, previous regulations at the state level prevented the expansion of our ICF.

Wendell Foster worked with State Representatives DJ Johnson, Suzanne Miles, and Senator Gary Boswell to bring this issue to the Kentucky

General Assembly. By sharing our story, providing evidence of the community-based services we provide, and showing the need within our community for expansion of these services, Kentucky House Bill 334 was passed unanimously. With this bill, we will now have the opportunity to increase the number of people served in the ICF. In 2023, Wendell Foster announced the need for a new Aquatic Therapy Center. Aquatic Therapy is an essential form of therapy for people with disabilities, and has many benefits, including pain relief and increased mobility. Our current therapy pool is nearly 40 years old and has several maintenance limitations that prevent crucial aquatic therapy appointments from taking place.

The new Aquatic Therapy Center, located in the Latham Outpatient Therapy Facility, will be a state-of-the-art, sustainable space, providing aquatic therapy for years to come. Fundraising efforts for this exciting project continue into 2024.

We invite the entire community to participate in the fifth annual Wendell Foster Half Marathon & 5K, presented by Owensboro Health! We hope you will join us at the starting line on March 23rd, 2024 as we celebrate five years as Owensboro’s only 13.1 race. This race has a little something for everyone, whether you’re running the Half, walking the 5K, volunteering as one of our 300 volunteers, or simply cheering our runners on as they cross the finish line at Smothers Park. Don’t miss our Steps Division participants as they take their final steps and receive their medals! To register for the race, visit wendellfosterhalfmarathon.itsyourrace.com/register.

Interested in volunteering at the race? Please contact Kara Howard, Race Director, at khoward@wendellfoster.org.

Wendell Foster is thankful for each volunteer and supporter who allow us to fulfill our mission. Say “Yes!” to becoming a Wendell Foster Difference Maker by volunteering or scheduling a tour of campus! To get involved, please contact the Community Engagement Department at 270-852-1458.

RUSSELL HOYT

In 1977, the legacy of the Hoyt family began when Rick Hoyt asked his father, Dick, to run together in a charity race benefiting a local lacrosse player who had become paralyzed. Rick experienced difficulties at birth, causing brain damage leading to cerebral palsy. He could not walk, talk, dress, or feed himself and utilized a wheelchair. Dick, who was not trained in endurance running, pushed his son in his wheelchair for the 5-mile race and finished second to last. After this race, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped." Dick and Rick would eventually complete over 1,000 endurance events, including 72 marathons, 32 Boston Marathons, and six Ironman Triathlons before their deaths in 2021 and 2022. The Hoyt Foundation was founded in 1989 to build the individual character, self-confidence, and self-esteem of America’s young people with disabilities through inclusion in all facets of daily life; including in family and community activities, especially sports, at home, in schools, and in the workplace.

Russell Hoyt is the President & CEO of The Hoyt Foundation. Russ is the youngest son of Dick and Judy Hoyt and the younger brother of Rick and Rob Hoyt. Russ is married to his life-long love Lisa and is the proud father of Troy and Ryan.

Russ’s role in Team Hoyt has been the man behind the scenes. Russ was in the transition pits at the Ironman Triathlon when Dick and Rick were the first duo to ever complete the event in 1989. In 1991 when Dick and Rick ran and biked across America, Russ was the General Manager. Russ navigated the route, booked the hotels, planned media stops, and made sure everyone completed the Hoyt Trek across America safely. Throughout his career, the youngest Hoyt brother helped individuals with disabilities improve their lives and be included, the same way his brother was. Russ’s career includes:

• Being the director of an Early Intervention program.

• Co-founding one of the first specialty service provider programs specializing in-home services for young children with Autism.

• Becoming the state-wide Autism Specialist for Massachusetts, creating a grant program that enabled public schools across the state to develop in-house Autism Specialists, keep students with Autism in-district, and provide opportunities to be educated side by side with their non-disabled peers.

• Serving for over 20 years as an Early Childhood Director for Integrated Preschool programs in two public school districts.

Most importantly, Russ Hoyt believes everyone can do hard things. If you ask yourself, “Can I do this?” he will tell you the answer is – YES YOU CAN!