Ottawa family helping ‘Make-A-Wish’ come true for others at Penguin Plunge

Ottawa’s Katie Knottek knows firsthand the positive effect a wish granted can have on a child and she wants to make sure as many children as possible experience that joy.

Knottek is the mother of Presleigh Brue, who in 2016 received her dream trip to Disney World through the Make A Wish Foundation. Presleigh died in 2022 at age 12. Her mother, family and friends still do all they can to raise funds for the inspirational agency so others can have a dream come true.

I can’t thank them enough for what they did for Presleigh, and this, to me, is a way to do that. It’s great for me to be able to do this for other kids because I know what it was like for us, and not just what it means to the wish kid, but to their whole family.

—  Katie Knottek, Preleigh Brue's mother

Those efforts include participating in this year’s Penguin Plunge, set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at Skydive Chicago, just north of Ottawa at 3215 E. 1969th Road.

“It means so much to me to be doing this again,” Knottek said. “I can’t thank them enough for what they did for Presleigh, and this, to me, is a way to do that. It’s great for me to be able to do this for other kids because I know what it was like for us, and not just what it means to the wish kid, but to their whole family.

“Thinking about the pain that Presleigh went through for all her life, I knew I could do it. … Last year was our first time, and I decided to do it the day it was happening, but my son and I raised $800 in just that one day. We knew we had to do it again, so Presleigh’s Penguins will be there.”

For the plunge, teams seek pledges to be paid when they take a chilling dip in the icy mid-winter waters of a pond, lake or river. Each team is asked to raise $100 in pledges per team member. There is a “dip your toe” option for those not willing to endure the complete icy bath.

All proceeds go to Make A Wish Illinois.

To register, go to http://site.wish.org/penguin2024, communityevents@illinois.wish.org or call 312-602-9419. Registration the day of the event begins at 11 a.m. There will be beverages and food to purchase and live music.

“Last year was wonderful,” Make A Wish gift officer Ashley White said. “We raised $60,000 and had 111 participants. People remember it. It was such a fun event, and a lot of them are coming back again, so anyone who would like to help out the amazing kiddos we are granting wishes for in the area, please do come out and help us.”

The Penguin Plunge was started in Ottawa 14 years ago by Linda Johnson, who retired in 2020 but still acts as a mentor for White. It has been a chore for the organization due to the COVID pandemic, having to go to a virtual event for two years, but it has returned and is thriving.

Thanks to Make A Wish, Knottek and her family celebrated Presleigh’s seventh birthday in 2016 at Walt Disney World in Florida. Because her daughter – who suffers from Rett syndrome, a genetic mutation affecting brain development in girls – was non-erbal, her mom decided to play to the girl’s love of all things Disney and make the trip to Florida.

Upon arrival at the Give Kids The World hotel in November of that year, the Disney staff had an itinerary for the entire week planned out, leading them to all of the attractions and to associate with all of the beloved Disney characters.

Each night when they returned to the hotel from the day’s activities, there were gifts waiting on the kitchen table for Presleigh and her brother, Ethan.

“That experience was amazing,” Knottek said. “She’s always loved all things Disney, the movies and characters and stuff, so that’s where we went, and she was like a different kid there. She was so happy the whole time. … She recognized the characters when they’d come up to her and that meant so much to me, to see her be that way, that happy, that whole week. It was amazing.

“It was so incredible. Every last detail was thought of and provided for us. It was the best week of our lives. It was something I’ll never forget. … And we want that for other families, too.”