At the end of 2020, HARTZ Physical Therapy, with five locations in Lancaster County, formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called HARTZ Physical Therapy Charitable Fund. The mission for the new organization is "to strengthen our community through philanthropic support for essential charitable organizations in Lancaster County."
That goal provides only a glimpse into the HARTZ story, which began more than 20 years ago when Brian Hartz, a Lititz native, and his wife, Amy, originally from Mechanicsburg, met while attending Rider University in New Jersey. In 2000, they opened HARTZ Physical Therapy in downtown Lititz with a vision of creating a work atmosphere that could make a difference.
"We wanted to empower our employees and give back to our community," noted Brian. "(The idea was to) put the focus on employees first to mentor them professionally and personally." The couple also wanted to impact the area. "There is much need in Lancaster County," said Brian. "We started early on trying to incentivize our staff and promote community engagement."
One employee who was inspired was physical therapy assistant Wendy Enck, who has been with the practice for 19 years. Enck recalled how Brian would encourage employees to participate in area 5K running events. "The more (5Ks) we did, we thought, 'We could hold this ourselves,'" said Enck, who researched how to organize a 5K and then became the race director for the first HARTZ Physical Therapy Fall Blast held at John Bonfield Elementary School in the fall of 2004. "The course is great for beginners," said Enck. "It's not very hilly." In the years since the first 5K was held, the run has raised more than $240,000 for local charities. Local organizations that have benefited include Aaron's Acres, Girls on the Run, and Power Packs Project.
Brian noted that organizations that benefit from the Fall Blast are chosen based on applications received from the charities. "We narrow it down to three (applicants), and then we present those to our entire staff (for a vote)," said Brian. "Amy and I don't make these decisions. Our entire staff is engaged."
In addition to the Fall Blast, HARTZ has partnered with Water Street Mission (WSM) and matched employee contributions to the Lancaster County Foundation Extraordinary Give, in addition to other fundraisers. According to Amy, one idea behind founding the organization was to consolidate efforts. "The 501(c)(3) is to bring all our community engagement ideas under one umbrella," she said, noting that it is important to be able to support charities that staff members feel passionate about. "This (helps) us to support the community in a way we weren't previously able to do with a piecemeal approach," Amy said.
"Often with smaller Lancaster County-based charities, they don't have a fundraising (arm)," said Enck, who added that the practice has developed relationships with many of those organizations.
"Now we can grow that," she added. "It's exciting (to have a 501(c)(3)). It is a whole new chapter."
Readers who would like to know more about the fund may visit http://www.hartzpt.com.
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