Travis Roy Foundation Awards 1st Quarter Adaptive Equipment Grants
Boston, MA (March, 2013) – The Travis Roy Foundation has awarded $92,000 to 31 individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs); these grants will be used toward the purchase of adaptive equipment to help improve the everyday quality of life for SCI survivors and their families.
“Being able to grant these recipients with some of the funding they need is what makes the Foundation so special,” said Travis Roy, founder of the TRF. “For over 15 years we have helped those with SCIs move forward in their lives, and it means so much to me that we are able to continue to do so.”
In its last fiscal year, the TRF awarded $382,000 worth of grants to 135 individuals. The Foundation also provided $300,000 to three separate spinal cord research studies.
This quarter, some of the individuals that received grants include:
- Elder, from California. Elder was injured in a swimming accident more than 10 years ago, and has not been able to bathe himself since then. He shares one bathroom with his wife and four children, and will use this grant to help remodel the bathroom to include a wider door and a roll-in shower for him to use daily.
- Christopher was injured in a car accident. Now 35 years old, he currently lives in a nursing home. Christopher was provided a $1000 grant to purchase a computer with the proper voice activated software.
- Greg, from Ohio. After a swimming accident at age 16, Greg now works part-time while raising 14-year-old twins with his wife. He is planning to use his TRF grant for a standing wheelchair, which will help relieve the frequent and painful muscle spasms in his legs and deep back, as well as improve his circulation.
- Jennifer was injured in a gymnastics accident, and has done all she can to be self-reliant. She will be using her grant from the TRF for vehicle modifications that will let her travel independently to work with Project walk in Carlsbad, mentor with the HeadNorth Foundation, and be team manager of a wheelchair basketball team in San Diego.
- Radhames, from Massachusetts. He lives alone, and has no feeling above his shoulders. His grant from the TRF will allow him to purchase a new mattress to help prevent bed sores, and a computer so that he can keep in touch with friends and family online and through email.
Since 1997, the TRF has awarded more than $2.8 million to nearly 800 SCI survivors across the United States. The goal of these TRF adaptive equipment grants is to help provide SCI survivors with increased independence and mobility. The TRF believes with the right adaptive equipment, people with paralysis cannot only be more independent, but they can live incredibly productive lives.
Individual grants are awarded nationally on a quarterly basis based on eligibility requirements. Anyone living with paralysis due to a spinal cord injury is encouraged to apply. Those interested in making a donation to the Travis Roy Foundation, or applying for a grant, click here.
