The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) has announced a first-ever $1 million matching-pledge challenge by Kent Greenawalt, F4CP chairman and founder. Per the challenge, established in celebration of the foundation’s 20th anniversary, Greenawalt will match, dollar for dollar, all donations to the F4CP for the remainder of 2023 up to $1 million.*
The matching donation challenge is the latest in a legacy of giving by Greenawalt, who has “supported numerous grants, research studies, donations, education chairs, and scholarships to support chiropractic care and education. His donations to the F4CP alone total over $5 million to date.”
What would the foundation do with $2 million? Based on its 20-year history, the F4CP “[will apply] this funding to educate consumers, the news media and healthcare leaders about the clinical, economic and societal benefits of chiropractic. Through the media, public speaking engagements, educational events, advertising and other marketing campaigns, F4CP has raised awareness across billions of consumers and other stakeholders worldwide.”
“The seismic impact F4CP has delivered on behalf of chiropractic care and doctors of chiropractic throughout its 20-year history far exceeds any donation we have received to date,” said Greenawalt in a press release announcing the donation challenge. “The positive sentiment among consumers, the healthcare industry and government officials has grown exponentially. That said, we must continue our mission to share positive evidence, information and news about the value of chiropractic and that’s why I am challenging other donors to step up and support this important organization today.”
To donate to the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, visit f4cp.org/donate. The matching-donation challenge ends on Dec. 31, 2023, at midnight Eastern Standard Time.
*The foundation raised $130,000 during this year’s The National by the Florida Chiropractic Association, which was matched with an additional $130,000. That leaves $870,000 in donations to reach $2 million ($1 million in donations matched with an additional $1 million).
Why Foot Levelers Started the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress
By Kent Greenawalt
Things were a lot different twenty years ago. Virtually all media coverage concerning chiropractic was negative, if not libelous. Advertisements on billboards and buses warned consumers, claiming chiropractic adjustments cause strokes. One website reported on the “more than 20 different types of pathologies that can occur as a result of neck manipulation.”
We had recently celebrated chiropractic’s first 100 years with television advertising, a televised documentary, our own Rose Parade float and two “Grand Celebrations.” But in the aftermath of that celebration, we were silent. The chiropractic profession had no voice. There was almost nothing to offset the negative press that was impacting consumers’ health care decisions.
As the son of a chiropractor and lifelong advocate for our profession, I just couldn’t sit by and watch chiropractic be constantly maligned. My heart ached when I thought about the millions of people who would never receive chiropractic care. Anger burned inside me with every lie I read.
It was clearly a time to take action.
Meeting with the team at Foot Levelers, I was able to set aside enough money to start a nonprofit organization that could effectively promote chiropractic. I presented the concept at the 2003 ChiroCongress annual meeting and was surprised to see chiropractic leaders supporting the idea. We were unified in purpose!
Many were catching the vision and adding their own passion to stand up for chiropractic. Along with Foot Leveler’s first $1 million grant, NCMIC added its own $1 million, along with $500,000 grants from Standard Process and Breakthrough Coaching. With the profession behind us, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress was born.
A lot has happened in the past 20 years. Working with dedicated people on both the F4CP board and staff, we have accomplished much and won many awards. But this is not the time to rest on our laurels.
The F4CP is opening doors and reaching potential patients in ways we could never dream of 20 years ago. The progress we are making is exciting, but the work is not through. This is why Foot Levelers is offering our $1 million pledge-match challenge to you. We are willing to add another $1 million to tell everyone about the importance of chiropractic care, but we want you to get involved as well so we can double that amount to $2 million.
Our passion hasn’t waned. I won’t be satisfied until every person (350 million in the U.S. alone) enjoys regular chiropractic care. Please join us in achieving our goal. With unity of purpose, we can make that a reality. Please join Foot Levelers and me in any way you can.
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
The results of a global survey released late last year (2023) unveiled some startling findings among medical and nursing students. The “Clinician of the Future: 2023 Education Edition” surveyed 2,212 students, of which 446 were in the United States, from 91 countries.
