CONTACT: STEPHANIE LAJAM
PHONE: (862) 200-5848
EMAIL: slajam@pushtowalknj.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 15, 2015
Push to Walk Receives $5,399 Grant from Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for NRN Locomotor & Pediatric Training and Equipment
Riverdale, NJ – Push to Walk is proud to announce that it has received a $5,399 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one of 84 grants totaling over $704,732 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that provide more opportunities, access, and daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families, and caregivers. Conceived by the late Dana Reeve, the program has awarded over 2,500 grants totaling over $18.9 million since 1999.
Push to walk will use the grant funds to support training of trainers to take the NeuroRecoveryNetwork (NRN) Locomotor and Pediatric Locomotor Training, and will help to underwrite the purchase of adapted equipment (6 adjustable knee braces, one pair of forearm shells with arm cuffs for the MotoMed arm ergometer, one pair of hook grips, 6 wrist cups) for the ongoing paralysis community fitness program. The equipment to be purchased will enable more clients to use the MotoMed bike more safely and effectively. Having two additional trainers complete NRN Locomotor Training will elevate the level of service provided to current and future clients, ensuring that the trainers have the highest knowledge level available,
“We would like to express our appreciation to the Reeve Foundation for awarding Push to Walk with this grant.” Said Cynthia Templeton, President of Push to Walk. “These funds will give our trainers extensive knowledge that will directly affect at least 52 clients in their recovery.”
“The Reeve Foundation is committed to supporting programs and resources that foster independent living, improved health and community engagement,” said Donna Valente, Director, Quality of Life Grants, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “The awarded grantees are instrumental to our work at the Reeve Foundation as we strive to serve the community with a roadmap of invaluable resources and programs to enhance their quality of life.”
Awarded twice yearly, grant requests were evaluated and scored based on a rigorous review process to determine funding for organizations that improve daily life for those living with paralysis, as well as their families and caregivers. Quality of Life grants focus on initiatives that engage and involve individuals with paralysis and their families in their community. With these initiatives, these organizations plan to help those living with paralysis assert their independence in the community.
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants Program was created to address the myriad needs of children and adults living with paralysis, as well as provide assistance and education to their families and caregivers. Funded programs serve individuals living with spinal cord injury and other injuries, diseases or birth conditions, including but not limited to, stroke, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The grants support life-changing initiatives that aim to increase quality of life by improving physical and emotional health, broadening community engagement, and increasing independence. This project was supported, in part by grant number 90PR3002, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.
About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is a program of the Reeve Foundation, and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (cooperative agreement number 90PR3002). For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.
About Push to Walk
Founded in 2007, Push to Walk is an organization that provides individualized workouts and resources to people with spinal cord injuries and other forms of paralysis to optimize current quality of life and to prepare for future medical advancements. It is the only program of its kind in the New York- New Jersey area. Push to Walk’s rigorous one-on-one workout approach challenges clients to reach their personal goals and achieve maximum independence, leading to greater success and fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. Push to Walk is unable able to cover all of its operating costs through client fees, and relies on grants and fundraising events to help make up the difference. A 501(C)3 non-profit, Push to Walk is located in Riverdale, New Jersey. Visit www.pushtowalknj.org to learn more.
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Donation opportunities are available on the Push to Walk website: www.pushtowalknj.org. For more information, please contact Stephanie Lajam at (862) 200-5848 or slajam@pushtowalknj.org.
Rita Gentles
(973) 379-2690 ext. 7123
media@ChristopherReeve.org
