The New England Spinal Cord Initiative is a Travis Roy Foundation supported initiative with the goal to establish a spinal cord injury center in the Boston area that would service spinal cord injured individuals from across New England. Fundraising is ongoing to build a state-of-the-art center with cutting edge programs specific to the ages of the patients that includes family immersion into care of their loved one, opportunities for research participation, and extension into the community with lifetime programs for individuals with spinal cord injuries. NESCI received the CRPF grant in recognition of its First Five Project. The aims of First Five (Functional Improvement Via Exercise) are health promotion, functional improvement and reduction of complications, and the program is based on Christopher Reeve’s own success with exercising with a functional electronic stimulation (FES) bike. Using an FES bike donated by the Travis Roy Foundation, the six-month long program launched this fall with five initial participants. Information about NESCI and First Five can be found online at www.travisroyfoundation.org/nesci or by calling Susan Sheehy at (617) 416-5128.
CRPF QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS: Originally conceived by Dana Reeve, CRPF Director and Chair of the Quality of Life Committee, CRPF’s Quality of Life Grants are awarded twice yearly and intended to help in such categories as: sports, arts, education, outdoor recreation, advocacy, employment and assistive technology. A unique component of the Quality of Life grants include a category for Health Promotion, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Promotion grants essentially work to remove societal and environmental barriers that limit the abilities of paralyzed individuals to participate in everyday activities.
The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF) awarded $713,897 in Quality of Life grants to 103 nonprofit organizations nationwide as part of its 2003 second funding cycle of the Quality of Life Program. Since 1999, CRPF has funded over $4.2 million in Quality of Life grants to organizations that work to increase opportunities, improve accessibility and enhance the everyday quality of life for those living with disabilities, especially paralysis. TRAVIS ROY FOUNDATION: The Travis Roy Foundation was founded in 1997 to help spinal cord injury survivors purchase adaptive and medical equipment as well as to fund spinal cord research. More than one million dollars in grants has been distributed, and any paraplegic or quadriplegic who has suffered a spinal cord injury is eligible to apply for an individual grant. A small Boston-based nonprofit with very little overhead, more than 99 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to the Foundation’s charitable purposes. Donations are tax deductible and may be mailed to Travis Roy Foundation, 111 Huntington Avenue at Prudential Center, Boston, MA 02219. Information about the Travis Roy Foundation can be found online at www.travisroyfoundation.org or by calling Foundation Administrator Brenda Taylor at 617-239-0556. -30- The Travis Roy Foundation is a publicly supported charitable fund qualifying under section 501(c)(3) & 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code - Tax ID# 04-3327883 |
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