Knights of Columbus Help Provide Prosthetics to Boston Marathon Bombing Amputees

Funding assists amputees with prosthetic care and upgrades not covered by their insurance

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Apr 15, 2014, 10:12 ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One year after the Boston marathon bombing, the Knights of Columbus Stand With Boston Program is providing assistance for people who lost limbs in that tragic event.

The latest in a series of Knights' initiatives to help provide mobility for individuals in the United States and worldwide, the Knights' Boston program is designed to cover the cost of additional or higher-quality prosthesis in order to help amputees regain as much mobility as possible.

The Knights of Columbus is donating more than $33,000 to help three people who lost limbs in the bombing. For two of the amputees, the funding has helped pay for costs not covered by their health insurance, supporting upgrades to state-of-the-art military grade X-3 micro-processor knees. In the third case, the K of C is helping to pay for a prosthetic running leg that supplements the prosthetic leg that is used by the person for most day-to-day activities.

"Medical coverage often has its limits," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, "but we are very happy that we are able to help bridge those limits with this charitable program designed to help those who lost a limb in the bombing recover even greater mobility."

Anderson added: "Following the example of the Good Samaritan, the Knights of Columbus has always sought to help those in need. What happened in Boston was a terrible reminder of the reality of evil in the world, but by responding with care for those who were hurt, we can show that the power of love is stronger than hatred or evil, and that evil does not have the last word."

In implementing the program and reviewing applications, the Knights of Columbus continues to consult with experts in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation.

The Catholic fraternal organization has a long history of assisting those with mobility issues and has provided more than 40,000 wheelchairs to individuals throughout the United States as well as worldwide, from Latin America to Vietnam.

In the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Knights of Columbus committed $1.5 million in aid and launched the "Healing Haiti's Children" initiative together with several partners that has so far helped hundreds of Haitian children with prosthetic and rehabilitation care.

Cumulative figures show that during the past decade the Knights of Columbus has donated $1.475 billion to charity and provided more than 673 million hours of volunteer service in support of charitable initiatives.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus