Lori Gottlieb has been a very busy person in the past year. A physical therapist by trade, she is also the parent of two young children (and two dogs) whom she raises with her husband Adam. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lori launched her new practice called Evolve Physical Therapy in Morrisville, Vermont.
“The pandemic gave me an opportunity to slow down and really do some soul searching. The outcome of that introspection was launching Evolve Physical Therapy,” explains Lori.
Lori generously donates a percentage of her monthly proceeds to Green Mountain Adaptive Sports. “My main driving motivation is to give people of all abilities the opportunity to thrive. This is a vision that can only be achieved in community, and is the reason that I have chosen to donate a percentage of my monthly earnings to GMAS,” explains Lori.
Green Mtn Adaptive Sports has been on Lori’s radar since she moved to Vermont to be closer to family in 2016. “When I was living in CA, I volunteered as an adaptive ski instructor with US Adaptive Recreation Center in Big Bear, CA. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and I knew that I wanted to get involved with the local adaptive program at some point,'” explains Lori.
Lori is no stranger to the benefits of adaptive sports for individuals, as well as their families. “My older brother, Jason Kenuk, was 13 years old when he was in a devastating car accident. The car accident took our mother’s life. Jason sustained a traumatic brain injury, shattered bones, and multiple internal injuries. He spent five weeks in a coma, and three months in inpatient acute rehabilitation. At a young age I witnessed the life changing impact that physical therapy can have on children and this motivated me, and my younger brother, Ben Kenuk, to become physical therapists. Today Jason is a teacher, coach, husband, parent, athlete, and a miracle. Physical therapy is where Jason re-learned how to walk, but it was sports that gave him the motivation to come home from therapy and run drills in the front yard. Sports was what motivated Jason to thrive.”
GMAS is the only organization that Lori presently donates to on a monthly basis. She hopes to launch a local Young Athletes program with the Special Olympics once we are able to safely gather in groups. If anyone is interested in partnering in this project or volunteering, please reach out to Lori.
GMAS is thankful for Evolve Physical Therapy’s generous monthly contributions, and we hope to be able to work with Lori on many other projects down the road.
You, and your business can also get involved with GMAS with a sponsorship, or a one-time, or monthly donations. View other ways to give here, or contact us to discuss other options.
More about Evolve Physical Therapy
Evolve Physical Therapy is a one (wo)man operation but Lori also works in conjunction with the team at the Lamoille Family Center to provide early intervention physical therapy for kids 0-3 years old. Evolve Physical Therapy is a mobile pediatric physical therapy practice. Clients are seen in their homes, childcare settings and in the community. There is a huge need for a pediatric physical therapist in Lamoille County, and Evolve Physical Therapy has started to fill that void. “The kids of Lamoille County and their parents are my target audience. I do a lot of early intervention PT (ages 0-3) due to community need but I am here to help kids of all ages who would benefit from physical therapy,” explains Lori.
Visit the new website at evolvept.org for more details and information. Lori can also be reached by email at lori@evolvept.org or phone (802) 851-0124.