Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Awards $350,000 in Quality of Life Grants

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation
Friday, 5 January 2001

(Springfield, NJ, January 5) - The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) announced today that it is awarding over $350,000 in Quality of Life Grants to 40 organizations nationwide that help improve opportunities, access and day-to-day quality of life for families and individuals living with disabilities. The grants, awarded twice yearly, recognize programs that enable people with disabilities to live independent and active lives.

The $351,444 bestowed this cycle is the most CRPF has ever awarded as part of its Quality of Life Grants program. The previous grant cycle's awards totaled $270,000. This brings the total amount granted to date by CRPF to more than one million dollars.

"We are truly impressed by the impassioned dedication of the recipient organizations to the individuals which they serve everyday," remarked Dana Reeve, CRPF Director and Chair of the Quality of Life Program Committee. Reeve added, "The disabled community relies on these agencies to fill a myriad of needs, both simple and complex. We are honored to provide much needed funding through the Quality of Life Program."

The following six organizations will receive a CRPF grant of $25,000 each: National Council on Spinal Cord Injury, National Organization on Disability, National 4-H Council, Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation, Canine Companions for Independence, and Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center. CRPF is awarding 34 additional grants ranging from $4,250 to $12,500, with most organizations receiving a $5,000 award. (A complete list of grant recipients follows this release.)

The CRPF Quality of Life Program Committee has added several new fields of interest to the funding categories. The revised list of funding categories includes: Accessibility, Advocacy, Arts, Assistive Technology, Children, Counseling, Education, Employment, Independent Living, Practical Service, Sports and Recreation, and Therapeutic Riding.

The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) was formed in 1999 as a result of the merger between the American Paralysis Association (APA) and the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF). CRPF, a national, nonprofit organization, supports research to develop effective treatments and a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. Until those treatments and cures are found, CRPF's Quality of Life Program is committed to supporting organizations and programs that seek to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

For more information about CRPF or the grant application process, please contact CRPF at (800) 225-0292 or visit our website at www.paralysis.org.

CHRISTOPHER REEVE PARALYSIS FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE GRANT RECIPIENTS 2nd CYCLE 2000

$25,000 Grants

Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, based in Breckenridge, Colorado, organizes and runs Adaptive Ski and Wilderness Programs for adults and children with disabilities. The Center will use its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to provide financial assistance for program participants. CRPF funds will also be used to purchase much needed adaptive program equipment.

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. CRPF will provide funds for 10 hospital beds for people participating in CCI's two-week, in-residence training course, enabling participants to receive an assistance dog.

National 4-H Council, will utilize its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to establish "Ability First," a national team of youth and adults whose focus is to make youth with disabilities a priority throughout the 4-H Cooperative Extension System.

The National Organization on Disability, based in Washington, DC, organizes and manages programs that work to close the gap in areas of employment, education, transportation, health care, religious worship, voting, and community life for those with disabilities. CRPF funds will support N.O.D.'s critical mission.

National Council on Spinal Cord Injury, based in Boston, Massachusetts, will apply its CRPF Quality of Life Grant towards a campaign to convince policymakers that health care spending decisions must be based upon optimizing individual health and productivity to control costs and sustain economic growth.

Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation (OHHF) of Darien, Connecticut, provides grants to spinal cord injured candidates for home care, medical services, transportation equipment and home renovations. OHHF will apply the CRPF Quality of Life Grant towards operational expenses.

$12,500 Grants

Greeley Center for Independence/North Colorado Therapy Center, an Independent Living Center in Greeley, Colorado, provides housing for ventilator-dependent people. The CRPF Quality of Life Grant will fund an expansion project.

Isanogel Center, Inc. of Muncie, Indiana, will utilize the CRPF Quality of Life Grant to secure a 15-passenger accessible vehicle to serve the organization's clients with disabilities.

Wheelchairs for the World Foundation, headquartered in Danville, California will utilize CRPF funds to provide wheelchairs for 240 people with disabilities in China and Tibet.

$10,000 Grants

Cumberland County Hospital System (Southeastern Regional Rehabilitation Center) will apply the CRPF Quality of Life Grant to support the transition of the SRRC Starz Quad Rugby Team to a formally registered team allowing participation in regional tournaments in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area.

Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, a therapeutic horseback-riding program for people with disabilities in Stamford, Connecticut, will hire additional program physical therapists with CRPF Quality of Life Grant funds.

$5,000 Grants

AXIS Dance Company of Oakland, California provides quality ongoing dance education for those with and without disabilities. CRPF funds will support community education and outreach programs.

Back Country Discovery of Fort Collins, Colorado provides horse-packing trips into the wilderness for adults with disabilities. The CRPF grant will purchase the necessary equipment for these excursions.

Betty's Dream, a residential facility for individuals with disabilities in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will utilize CRPF funds to provide for a second van driver for its Rainbow Apartments.

Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, will host Art Ability 2001, a comprehensive, national juried exhibition of art and fine crafts by artists with disabilities. The Hospital will use its CRPF grant to support this exhibition.

Camp Fishtales provides camping and outdoor activities for people with disabilities in Pinconning, Michigan. CRPF funds will support construction of an additional cabin to accommodate an increasing number of campers.

Challenge Aspen is an adaptive ski program for children with disabilities aged six to fourteen, located in Aspen, Colorado. CRPF funds will purchase two bi-skis to be used by the participants.

Children's Care Hospital & School will utilize its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to construct a universally accessible playground on the agency's grounds which will be open to the Sioux Falls, South Dakota community.

Co-op Initiatives, Inc. of Hartford, Connecticut, creates innovative, affordable housing and supported living options for people with disabilities. CRPF funds will support these ongoing programs.

Common Ground Outdoor Adventures of Logan, Utah will apply its CRPF Quality of Life Grant towards a 15-passenger lift-equipped van for program participants who use wheelchairs.

Computer Access Center (CAC) assists persons with disabilities in leading independent lives through the use of assistive technology in the Los Angeles, California area. CAC will purchase a MacIntosh computer and related equipment with its CRPF Quality of Life Grant.

Disability Resource Center of Southwestern Michigan provides opportunities and tools for persons with disabilities in Kalamazoo, Michigan so they may pursue productive, independent lives. CRPF funds will help support operational expenses.

Environmental Traveling Companions, based in San Francisco, California, provides therapeutic outdoor adventure and environmental education programs for individuals with disabilities. The CRPF Quality of Life Grant will enable numerous individuals to participate in these programs.

HOME-New Mexico, Inc. provides support and assistance to persons with disabilities in the state of New Mexico in their pursuit to become homeowners. CRPF funds will be applied towards operational support.

Independence Inc. will utilize its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to develop and implement a Job Development and Placement Program for people with disabilities in Lawrence, Kansas.

National Wheelchair Sports Fund of Palm Beach, Florida supports the development and implementation of instructional wheelchair sports programs throughout the state through the Florida Wheelchair Sports Initiative.

Northern Nevada Center for Independent Living in Sparks, Nevada is expanding its Community Recreation/Leisure Program, a community-based recreation program for youth with disabilities. The CRPF Quality of Life Grant will support this expansion.

Opportunity Council will utilize CRPF funds to provide two days of respite "holidays" for families with children with disabilities in the Bellingham, Washington area.

Pain Connection/Chronic Pain Outreach Center, Inc. of Potomac, Maryland, will utilize its CRPF grant to hire an additional social worker to provide individual, family and group counseling and oversee weekly support groups and to develop its website and information bank.

Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, Inc., a therapeutic riding center for people with disabilities in Huntington, New York, will use CRPF funds for curriculum development and enhancement of their summer camp program.

Partnership for the Arts in Western Massachusetts in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, plans to install an elevator with its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to improve accessibility at the Art Bank, a gallery, performance space and school for artists.

Portland Area Council of Camp Fire will apply CRPF funds towards the Step Ahead Day Camp, a weeklong outdoor learning experience for students with disabilities in Oregon.

Prairie Freedom Center for Independent Living of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will utilize its CRPF Quality of Life Grant to hire an Advocacy Coordinator to educate persons with disabilities and businesses about the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Ski for Light, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota, plans to enhance and expand its mobility impaired participant program through the purchase of new adaptive "sit-skis," ice hockey sleds and related equipment.

Providence Community Health Foundation will apply its CRPF Quality of Life Grant towards the hiring of a Peer Counseling Coordinator for the Peer to Peer Counseling Program and adapt curricula for the program in Medford, Oregon.

South Carolina Disabilities Research Commission plans to develop a statewide peer support network of programs, services and resources to benefit all persons with spinal cord injuries in South Carolina.

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation (TIRR) will apply CRPF funds towards its Transitional Services program in Houston, Texas, which enables patients with catastrophic injuries to transition from the institute to home.

Think First of Washington organizes a Speaker Training Program which teaches people with spinal cord injuries how to tell the story of their injury so they can speak at Safety Assembly programs presented to school children in the Seattle area. The CRPF Quality of Life Grant will fund this program.

Miscellaneous Grants

Maryland Ravens, Inc., based in Edgewood, Maryland, administers a Disability Awareness Program. CRPF funds will enable physically challenged athletes to visit schools and agencies to demonstrate their abilities.

Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center hosts the Community Recreation Preschool Accessible Computer Learning program in Parsons, Kansas. The Center will utilize its CPRF Quality of Life Grant to provide an accessible computer station for preschoolers with disabilities.

For more information, or to contact Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, see their website at: www.christopherreeve.org