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QUALITY OF LIFE

Each year, the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation carefully studies many grant applications to determine those best suited to our mission statement and resources. 

2007 QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS

Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation Scholarship Fund, Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, New Jersey
Students may earn associate, baccalaureate or master’s degrees as well as professional certificates. The College offers online courses, guided and independent study and a credit-transfer policy honoring past college experience. They are a national leader in assessing and awarding credit for college-level learning acquired outside the classroom. The scholarships are restricted to individuals having spinal cord injuries.

 The Wounded Warrior Projects, Jacksonville, Florida
Their mission is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, to help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. SSPF’s gift will be restricted to soldiers with spinal cord injuries.

Mountain Outreach Program, Cumberland College, Williamsburg, Kentucky
Since the program’s founding in 1982, students from Cumberland College and other volunteers have built a total of 126 homes in Appalachia. The program teaches college students compassion and concern for one’s fellow man and each year through the Mountain Outreach Program they assist approximately 8,000 needy but deserving individuals. The most requested projects are wheelchair ramps, approximately six requests a month. The SSPF grant is restricted to constructing wheelchair ramps.

The Travis Roy Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts
The Travis Roy Foundation was established in 1997 to help spinal cord injury survivors and to fund research into a cure. The SSPF Grant supports the Travis Roy Foundation’s individual grants program, which provides funds to quadriplegics and paraplegics to modify vans and to purchase wheelchairs, computers, ramps, shower chairs, and other adaptive equipment.

Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Carmel, Indiana
The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit outpatient rehabilitation clinic for children with special needs. Their team incorporates the movement of horses in physical and occupational therapy sessions. Their mission is to provide children who have special needs a foundation for developing life skills through innovative therapies in a safe and caring environment including equine-assisted physical and occupational therapy.

Paws With A Cause, Wayland, Michigan
The organization, began in 1979, trains Assistance Dogs nationally for people with disabilities and provides lifetime team support which encourages independence. PAWS promotes awareness through education. As one of the first organizations to offer Assistance Dogs to people with disabilities, PAWS has a long history of providing the highest quality and innovative services to this population.

Wheels for the World, Joni and Friends, Agoura Hills, California
From 1994–2006 Wheels for the World delivered over 45,585 wheelchairs to 86 developing countries. Volunteers collect used but restorable wheelchairs in communities throughout the U.S. Numerous storage, trucking, and shipping companies across the US volunteer to store and transport donated wheelchairs to 19 correctional facilities. Inmates work diligently and with pride to restore donated wheelchairs to sparkling, like-new condition—perfectly restored for someone waiting overseas for the gift of mobility.

Adaptive Sports Center, Crested Butte, Colorado
Their mission is to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by promoting and providing successful outdoor adventure activities and experiential education with the highest quality instruction and equipment available. The Center was founded in 1987 by President and Mrs. Carter along with a group of local residents to form the Physically Challenged Ski Program of Crested Butte. Since then the program has evolved into the year-round, nationally recognized Adaptive Sports Center offering a full line of summer and winter outdoor activities ranging from skiing and rafting to wellness retreats and programs on their universally designed ropes course. SSPF’s grant will be restricted to their skiing program.

2006 QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS

Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana,Indianapolis, Indiana
The Foundation provided funds to renovate the Men’s and Women’s locker rooms for the pool area in the use of aquatic therapy.

Freedom Field, Columbus Indiana
SSPF contributed to the building of a 1-1/2 acre all-inclusive playground at Chapman T. Blackwell III Park that meets or exceeds Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines. The Field has sensory-rich equipment that is independently playable for children with disabilities while exciting and challenging for able-bodied children. It provides every parent or grandparent who has special needs the opportunity to enjoy an outdoor play environment with their children or grandchildren.

R.A.G.E., Las Vegas, Nevada
The mission of Rebuilding All Goals Efficiently, Inc., is to provide a higher quality of life to persons with disabilities of all ages. The core of R.A.G.E. philosophy is self-reliance. R.A.G.E. believes that its consumers with mobility impairments are best able to judge, direct, and manage the services they need. Families of children with disabilities as well as adults with disabilities are supported in their efforts to achieve greater self-sufficiency and independence.

Homes for Our Troops, Taunton, Massachusetts
In support of our men and women who became disabled during the war, a grant was made to support efforts to build new homes or make current homes accessible for these soldiers.

The Kids Equipment Network, Oak Park, Illinois
The organization was founded in mid–2006 to provide durable medical equipment to special needs children, from birth to 21 years of age, who have little or no medical funding. Comprised of a group of healthcare workers who realized that there was a huge void in the community, they raise funds and collect and refurbish used medical/adaptive medical equipment for children. The healthcare workers are associated with Shriners Hospital and attend SSPF’s Day at the Races program in Chicago.

2007 WSCA US National Disabled Water Ski Tournament, Indianapolis, Indiana
The WSDA US National Disabled Water Ski Tournament is a nationwide tournament hosted by RHI Sports Program, Indiana Water Ski Association, Hawthorn Lake Ski Club, and USA Water Skiing to enhance the level of competition for adaptive water skiing.

Project Walk, Carlsbad, California
Project Walk is a physical and performance program for the spinal cord injured. Founded in 1999, it has attracted over 300 SCI clients from around the country and the world. They provide the most comprehensive physical recovery program worldwide and are recognized as a pioneer in exercise-based recovery.

The New York Academy of Sciences Research Symposium, New York, New York
The Foundation was one of the sponsors of the Academy’s “From the Bench to the Bedside: The Latest Discoveries in Spinal Cord Injury Research” conference. Researchers from around the world exchanged ideas and information.

2005 QUALITY OF LIFE GRANTS

Centers for Independent Living, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana
SSPF’s generous supporters donated $50,000 to help rebuild the centers that were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The Foundation provided a $50,000 matching grant. A portion of the funds helped to relocate paralyzed individuals from nursing homes to their own apartments, which were originally destroyed by the hurricane.

Homes for Our Troops, Taunton, Massachusetts
In support of our men and women who became disabled during the war, a grant was made to support efforts to build new homes or make current homes accessible for these soldiers.

University of Washington’s Route 28 Summit Workshop
Graduate students and post doctorals from all over the world attended the bi-annual workshop encouraging them to pursue careers in bio medical research in support of spinal cord injuries. The faculty consisted of the world’s best known researchers in spinal cord injury.

Ghana, Africa
The Foundation purchased custom-made, carbon-fiber wheels for a specially designed racing wheelchair for Ajarah Boytse, a para-athelete, to use during the 2008 Paralympics in China (held September 6–17, 2008).

Alan T. Brown Foundation, New York, New York
The grant was given to support their Outreach program which provides counseling to people with new spinal cord injuries and their families.

© 2008 Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
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