Since 2023, we’ve made it our mission to raise awareness and support the cerebral palsy community.
Meet Charlie
Our “Why”
Charlie was born at 39 weeks after a seemingly normal pregnancy and delivery. When he was around five months, his parents, Chelsea and Chuck, began to notice that Charlie wasn’t meeting developmental milestones in a way that they thought he should. After asking for a thorough evaluation, Charlie was referred to the Infant Motor Evaluation Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s where he was identified as “high risk for cerebral palsy”. After an MRI confirmed brain damage, he received an official CP diagnosis in February 2021. Chelsea and Chuck were in absolute shock after the diagnosis, but knew that early intervention would be key to ensuring a successful future for Charlie. Since then, he’s endured weekly physical, occupational, and speech therapy sessions and he continues to make progress.
After seeing the amount of growth that Charlie accomplished in the first two years of his life, especially after beginning therapies for his delays, Chelsea and Chuck knew it was their duty to spread awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and intervention with infants who exhibit symptoms of cerebral palsy. Since 2023, Cheering for Charlie has worked hard to support families in the early stages of their child’s CP diagnosis.
Today, Charlie is a happy and healthy boy who continues to crush goal after goal. Charlie’s team of supporters will continue to fight for him. We take pride in helping other families who are on a similar journey.
Cheering for Charlie Board of Directors
Chelsea Wirtz - President
Chelsea is the founder and president of Cheering for Charlie. While experiencing the many ups and downs of her son Charlie’s cerebral palsy diagnosis, she recognized the need to spread awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for infants with CP. After witnessing firsthand the tremendous improvements that Charlie made through early intervention, she felt called to be an advocate for children with CP symptoms and physical difficulties while supporting their caregivers. Chelsea is responsible for overseeing all operations within the organization. She aims to work with the Cheering for Charlie team to assist families through their child’s evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment plan.
Terry Smith - Treasurer
Terry is a husband, father of five, and grandfather to 10. He’s the Treasurer of Cheering for Charlie. After witnessing Charlie’s early journey with Cerebral Palsy, he knew he wanted to assist his Family and other Families. As of early 2024, he’s winding down his 45-year career in National Sales, Operations, and SaaS in the CPG beverage sector. His focus going forward is to lend his time and business experience to the Cheering for Charlie team and the Families they’ll be helping after their children have been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
Molly Fangmann - Secretary
Molly is very honored to be a part of Cheering for Charlie and proud to be Charlie’s “Aunt Momo”. A graduate of Ohio University, Molly currently serves as Area Director of Human Resources for a collection of hotels in Cincinnati. Molly enjoys spending her time with her husband, Chris, and daughter, Libby, and their two pugs. Molly looks forward to making a difference for families who have been recently diagnosed with CP.
Chuck Wirtz - Vice President
Chuck is Charlie’s father. An avid runner and sports fan, Chuck wanted to use those interests to not only improve his own son’s life but those who have and support those with CP. March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month - and March Madness! The first bracket challenge CFC hosted in 2023 had over 100 entries and raised nearly $3,000. Later that year, the CFC team raised over $6,000 at the Queen Bee Half Marathon and became an official Charity Partner with the Flying Pig Marathon. Charlie was there for all of it (check out our Initiatives page), motivating Chuck and Chelsea to keep running (Chelsea is faster) and to keep raising awareness and supporting funds! Chuck is a career recruiter with the firm Jobot and is appreciative of his Jobot family and the agency’s continued support and flexibility.
First Official Board Meeting - Feb 2023