Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Awards 76 Nonprofit Organizations Quality of Life Grants

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Feb 12, 2013, 10:16 ET

SHORT HILLS, N.J., Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced it has awarded almost $427,000 in Quality of Life Grants to 76 nonprofit organizations in the United States. The Quality of Life Grants Program supports specially selected nonprofit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis. Since the program's inception in 1999, 2,131 grants totaling over $16 million have been awarded.

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The Town of Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina was awarded a $6,000 Quality of Life grant to help to make the public beach more accessible with the purchase of two sand beach wheelchairs that will be offered free of charge for individuals living with paralysis and other physical disabilities.

In Kailua Kona, Hawaii, The Mokuaikaua Church received a $10,000 grant for their Kalamaku program, which teaches and encourages people living with disabilities to be more active through adaptive outrigger canoe paddling. Kalamaku provides beach and ocean access to community members, while ensuring their safety in the water.

The Assistive Technology Library of Alaska located in Anchorage, Alaska received a grant for $5,000 to support a program that provides assistive technology for recreational outdoor activities to Alaskans living with paralysis. The equipment is provided through a lending program, and enables Alaskans living with paralysis and visitors to the state to participate in outdoor activities that are fundamental to Alaskan culture.

The Courage Center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota was awarded a $10,000 grant to expand an innovative program for nutrition and weight management for individuals living with disabilities, following a curriculum created specifically for people living with spinal cord injuries. Access to fitness and weight management services will be expanded for individuals with low income.

In Santa Ana, California, Goodwill of Orange County was awarded a $10,495 grant to expand opportunities for cardiovascular workouts and strength training for the over one hundred fitness center members living with paralysis.

Knowability, Inc. based in Austin, Texas received a $5,000 Quality of Life grant to support an assistive technology initiative that provides training to website developers to create accessible websites that accommodate assistive technologies used by people living with paralysis, mobility impairments or other disabilities.

"The Reeve Foundation's Quality of Life Grants Program has always been a cornerstone of one of our core beliefs, the power of we. By supporting these organizations that align with the same beliefs as ours, we are better able to help our community members live more independently," said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "We are pleased to reward a number of tremendous organizations for their efforts."

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program was conceived by the late Dana Reeve to address the myriad needs of children and adults living with paralysis and other mobility impairments and their families. Grants support critical life-enhancing and life-changing initiatives that improve physical and emotional health and increase independence. Funded projects offer a diversity of services and approaches: improving access; providing education and job training; sponsoring organized sporting activities; and much more. Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Award #1U59DD000838).

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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Award No. 1U59DD000838. For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.

SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation