It happens around every holiday season: at the dinner table in the company of family and friends, in large social gatherings of strangers, and even within the solace of one’s own thoughts. It is amplified, especially, come the end of the year when adults and children alike examine the actions of their past and rejoice in the decree of resolutions for the year ahead. We tend to classify this as the time thanks and giving. Although, generally speaking, it never seems to be particularly newsworthy or dignified, we here at The Travis Roy Foundation are honored to acknowledge those who amplify the everyday lifestyle of thanks and giving back.
Brian Irish, a local Vermonter, broke his neck in a car accident in 1985, leaving him a quadriplegic. The stairs in his house became a barrier whilst going about his daily routines, limiting his access to only the main level: doing laundry was more of a chore than it originally was, and someone had to come assist him when making candles for fun and gifts. In the fall of 2009, Irish received a $13,332 grant for a wheelchair lift in his house. Overtime Irish’s candle-making hobby turned into a lucrative thirty-three scent business, Irish Candle, and a way of life.
Just this past summer at the Annual Vermont Wiffleball Tournament, Irish—a strong believer in helping the cause—worked long hours for the months prior to produce extra 3 wick pillar candles (his new, long lasting, delectable-smelling specialty) to raffle off and donate to The Foundation. He traveled each day from his home in Colchester to the Tournament’s site in Jericho with a smile on his face, chatted with the participants and guests, and sold his hot-commodity candles, giving back all proceeds from the candle sales – nearly $1,000 to The Foundation. “The Travis Roy Foundation helped me conquer my barrier and I am so thankful.”
In 2008 young Dan Pion, another Vermont native, was paralyzed from the chest down after a diving accident. He received advice from Travis Roy himself in the following months about the importance of a great rehabilitation facility. Pion was ready to jet-set down to Atlanta to follow in Roy’s footsteps at The Shepherd Center until his insurance threw some unsuspected turbulence his way: they would pay for the rehabilitation, but not his transportation. Pion was granted $5,900 to cover half the cost of his flight to Atlanta so that he could go to The Shepherd Center. Although adaptive equipment and medical expenses will always be a bit of a financial challenge, Pion benefitted immensely from his rehabilitation in Atlanta as he is becoming increasingly independent with each day.
Shortly after Pion’s accident, his friends and family established The Danny Pion Wiffleball Tournament to assist with costly medical bills. A huge success from its inception, drawing over twenty teams, The Danny Pion Wiffleball Tournament has only grown in strength and numbers over the years. With all of Pion’s success and immense gratitude towards The Foundation for supporting Pion receive top notch rehabilitation, proceeds and donations benefitted the Travis Roy Foundation.
Ohio resident Heather Whitener broke her neck, C-4/5, in a diving accident in 1991. At first, Whitener could not move her arms past her shoulders; feeding herself seemed out of the question. Huge strides have been made in the time since then: Whitener can now successfully retrieve small objects from the refrigerator, paint independently, wash her hands, put on her make-up, and best of all, even stand! About two years ago in the fall of 2008, Whitener received a $3,400 grant for a standing frame from The Foundation. “I stood for the first time in seventeen years and it’s all because of the grant that The Travis Roy Foundation afforded me,” Whitener said. “It’s great to know with The Travis Roy Foundation that there are no dead ends.”
Whitener wrote thank you letters to Travis and the Board of Trustees and was humbled and honored when asked if she would be interested in writing for them. Not only is Whitener a college graduate twice over, a children’s therapist three days a week, but also an gifted writer and advocate for spinal cord injury survivors. “I revel in the stories that I write for The Foundation and I love meeting these unique and powerful individuals,” Whitener said. “Volunteering for The Foundation is the least I can do, considering what they have done for me!”
Stories such as these, of thanks and giving back, remind humans everywhere that life is a gift, offering us the opportunity and privilege to give something back and continue so in an everyday fashion. And so the proverb goes, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” From all of us at The Travis Roy Foundation we would like to again thank from the bottom of our hearts: Brian Irish, Dan Pion, and Heather Whitener for carrying on the light.
