The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Unites with Spinal Injuries Ireland to Advance the Mission of Providing Care to the Community

DUBLIN and SHORT HILLS, N.J., April 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation announced today a new alliance to cultivate connections and expand support for the spinal cord injury community. This collaboration will foster sharing of best practices, expand services and educational content, and enable joint fundraising opportunities in the U.S. and Ireland. As the alliance kicks off, the focus will be on peer mentoring, a flagship service of both organizations.

As the only support and service agency for those who sustain a spinal cord injury in Ireland, SII provides support for the injured person and their family and friends at every stage, with counseling, community outreach, peer mentoring and activity programs. Their mission and work mirrors many aspects of the Reeve Foundation's National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC), which offers comprehensive information, resources, and referral services for the community to achieve a better quality of life.

"The mission of our PRC is to foster involvement in the community, promote health and improve quality of life," said Maggie Goldberg, President, and COO, Reeve Foundation. "Our new alliance with SII will help our organizations cultivate and grow community connections while learning from each other about the best ways to care for and promote the independence of people living with paralysis, a spinal cord injury, or mobility impairment."

"Spinal Injuries Ireland is delighted to partner with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to advance the mission of providing the best care post injury in the community for people who have sustained a life changing injury. To date both organisations have shared best practice in a number of services and in addition our collaboration will allow SII to participate and fund future research projects with Reeve and other partners to accelerate research in to therapies and a cure for spinal cord injury," commented Fiona Bolger, CEO of Spinal Injuries Ireland.

With this new partnership, the Reeve Foundation continues to deliver on its dual mission, "Today's Care. Tomorrow's Cure." set forth by the founders Christopher and Dana Reeve to provide a continuum of hope for individuals living with paralysis worldwide. This Reeve-SII collaboration follows an alliance with the International Spinal Research Trust (ISRT), announced earlier this year, as a joint strategic approach to research with a focus on accelerating the progress of therapies and their delivery to the millions of people around the world living with the life-altering effects of paralysis.

Visit the Reeve Foundation website to learn more about the free PRC programs and resources.

About Spinal Injuries Ireland

Spinal Injuries Ireland is the only support and service agency in Ireland for people who have sustained a spinal cord injury. According to the World Health Organization, a spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating and life-changing injuries that a person can sustain. Founded in 1994, Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) is a registered charity that actively supports people who sustain a spinal cord injury and the family and friends who love them. SII's mission is to engage, people with a spinal cord injury, along with their family members and together,  address barriers to full participation in society and empower their service users to work towards achieving personal, social and vocational goals once again.  For more information, please visit www.spinalinjuries.ie or call +353-1- 6532180

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 individuals and families impacted by paralysis. By uniting the brightest minds in the field, we are working tirelessly to accelerate scientific discovery across the field of spinal cord research by investing in labs across the globe. Additionally, through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation's National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 100,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. The Reeve Foundation is committed to elevating our community's voices and needs to achieve greater representation and independence. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau's standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB's Charity Seal.  For more information, please visit www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.

SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

Related Links

www.christopherreeve.org