DOWS, Iowa — A central Iowa family recently earned national recognition from the Spina Bifida Association for being the top fundraising team for 2020, raising $20,890.
The Braun family said the recognition was very special to them because Spina Bifida is a condition that hits close to home, with their 10-year-old daughter Ava having it.
Jodi Braun, Ava's mother, said she is paralyzed from the ribs down.
"When a child is born with Spina Bifida their spinal cord is formed on the outside of their back and their nerves are outside of their skin," Braun said.
Ava has one of the worst forms of Spina Bifida, which has caused the family to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for doctor's visits about once a month.
Kyle Braun, Ava's father, said the trips were costly, but the Spina Bifida Association of Iowa would help them out with some of the costs. But that eventually stopped.
"In 2019, we had to suspend some of our programs because we had a not good year fundraising," Spina Bifida Association of Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Crowe said. "We needed to take a step back and look at what we could, look at what we were able to support."
With that knowledge, Kyle Braun wanted to make his fundraiser, which he and his family put on for the past two years as part of the association's Walk-N-Roll event, bigger than before.
"I'm a pretty competitive person. So this year our goal was to be top in the nation."
To do that, they held Cruise for a Cause, where members in Dows and Belmond drove on motorcycles and vintage cars, held an auction and raffled off different prizes.
They earned $20,890, making them and the two communities the top fundraising team in the United States.
"We know there's people that need the help more than we do," Kyle Braun said. "That's kind of our thing. We don't want [others] to not be able to go get the best care for their kid that they can."
The CEO of the Iowa Association of Spina Bifida said the money the Braun team raised in addition to what other teams through the state raised will be put to good use.
The Braun family is already planning for 2021's fundraising and hopes to top this year's record.
RELATED: Spina Bifida Association