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SHORT HILLS, N.J. (July 28, 2009) – The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced today that it has awarded almost $500,000 in Quality of Life grants to 86 non-profit organizations nationwide. Conceived by the late Dana Reeve in 1999, the Quality of Life program awards grants twice yearly to organizations that help people living with disabilities become more fully integrated members of society. To date, nearly 1,600 grants have been awarded totaling almost $13 million.
"The Quality of Life program recognizes and supports organizations that assist individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers in ways that more immediately provide them with increased independence, well being, and improved access," said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "Throughout the past ten years we have had the privilege of being able to impact the lives of thousands of people living with paralysis through these deserving organizations. As Dana Reeve used to say, our Quality of Life program is about freedom and we are pleased to do our small part to assist these organizations."
Included in the first cycle of grant recipients is Wheelchair Recycler, Inc. located in Marlboro, Massachusetts. The Wheelchair Recycler refurbishes donated wheelchairs and scooters which are then provided to individuals in need. The grant will help underwrite the purchase of a van to transport the wheelchairs.
I Believe TV, Inc., a national media resource based in Montclair, New Jersey, received a grant to help underwrite equipment to produce the television show I Believe TV, created by Richard Gaskin, also known as Professir X, an accomplished rap artist, entertainer and media producer, to enable him to positively motivate people of all ages and spread awareness of disability. I Believe TV is currently broadcast over a network of Public, Education & Government (PEG) stations.
A grant to EquiCenter, Inc. in Honeoye Falls, New York will help to underwrite the purchase of a therapy horse for Horses for Heroes: A Family-Based Program for Wounded Returning Veterans. The program helps veterans participate in positive, skill-building equestrian experiences with their families, interact with other veterans and their families, and reintegrate in their communities.
The Reeve Foundation's Quality of Life grants are divided into three categories, Actively Achieving, Bridging Barriers and Caring and Coping. Some Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Award #1U59DD000338). These grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that address the needs of people living with paralysis caused by spinal cord and other injuries, diseases and birth conditions.
Click to view the list of grant recipients.
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