Travis Roy Foundation Announces $25,000

Grant To Helping Hands Organization

Program has trained capuchin monkeys to assist the disabled for 25 years

Boston, MA -- The Travis Roy Foundation helped the Helping Hands organization dedicate their new Carvel Center with the announcement that they would be donating $25,000 to the organization. The grant will be distributed over five years. The announcement was made by Travis Roy Foundation founder Travis Roy at a Helping Hands black-tie gala at Boston's Sonesta Hotel on May 8, 2004. The gala followed the dedication of the organization's new "Monkey  College" in Boston.

Helping Hands is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for quadriplegic individuals by training capuchin monkeys to assist them with daily activities. Monkey helpers perform simple, every day tasks, such as getting something to eat or drink, retrieving dropped or out of reach items, assisting with audio cassettes, video cassettes, CDs, and books, turning lights on or off, and in many cases, Helping Hands monkeys have enabled people to work from their homes. Helping Hands charges no fees for its services and is largely supported by private contributions. Helping Hands has been in existence since 1979 and recently moved into a brand new "Monkey College", the Carvel Center, in Boston, MA where the monkeys learn simple tasks to become devoted helpmates, giving their disabled companions independence, dignity, and love.

The Travis Roy Foundation:  The Travis Roy Foundation distributes grants to paraplegics and quadriplegics in financial need to help them purchase the items and technology to live more independent lives. Examples of eligible items include upgrade and maintenance of wheelchairs, grants to assist in van purchases, vehicle modifications (i.e., hand controls or lifts), home modifications (including ramp and elevator installation), exercise equipment and other adaptive equipment. The Foundation also supports research into an eventual cure for spinal cord paralysis.

Inspired by Travis' own story, the lifeblood of the Travis Roy Foundation has been the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations across North America. This generosity has made an immediate impact on the lives of many individuals, and the Foundation has distributed more than $1,000,000 in individual grants and to research projects and rehabilitation institutions across North America. The Foundation is also actively involved in efforts to build a state of the art spinal cord center in Northeast through its Northeast Spinal Cord Initiative (NESCI).

Read MSNBC's Article: Monkey Helpers Get First 'College"

For Information About the Travis Roy Foundation's Individual & Research Grant Programs,

Please Visit Our Web Site at www.travisroyfoundation.org/pages/grants.html