Marion County community joins together to grant little girl's wish
Tracy Loew
Joel Kuhl has been granting wishes for nearly two decades as a volunteer for Make-A-Wish, which helps cheer on children with life-threatening medical conditions.
But he’s never seen a wish quite like the one fulfilled Saturday for 3-year-old Penelope Butler of Aumsville.
Penelope was born with a rare blood disorder called Diamond-Blackfan anemia. She had 40 blood transfusions, 25 hospitalizations and many complications before getting a bone marrow transplant in 2016.
Many kids wish for a trip to Disneyland, or a cruise. Penelope wanted a pony, named Cappy.
That meant fencing in the family’s property, making repairs to the barn, and getting hay, feed, tackle, a saddle and riding wear.
Kuhl started with a call to Brandon Smith, who owns Smith Field & Fence in Lyons.
“Brandon just took the ball and ran,” Kuhl said.
Smith got on the phone to companies he does business with, including Wilco, Knife River, Jefferson Rental, Stayton Builders Mart, Windsor Rock and more, and convinced them to donate materials and labor.
“I’m a father of two, and it really struck a chord with me,” Smith said. “I thought, let’s just take a week off and do this.”
Smith’s son Morgan, 17, a junior at Stayton High School, rounded up students to help dig fence post holes and stretch fencing.
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The Aumsville Police Department and Fire Department pitched in with labor, as did many community members. Pietro’s Pizza, in Salem, donated pizza for the volunteers. Residents and businesses donated supplies, including pink tack for Cappy.
In the end, it became a community effort, Kuhl said.
“To see the community come together, to count the number of people that actually volunteered physically, to count the dollar value of the materials donated… the magnitude of the community coming together to grant this little girl’s wish is pretty heartwarming in my book,” he said.
On Saturday, all the volunteers gathered to surprise Penelope with her pony.
“It was amazing,” Smith said. “The look on that little girl’s face was just priceless.”
tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503-399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tracy_Loew