November 27, 2011
80's BRIT STARS "THE ENGLISH BEAT" PERFORM IN CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION

A special concert featuring The English Beat was held on October 16 at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to benefit the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. Dan Wheldon helped to organize the concert.  Although Dan had been tragically killed in a racing accident earlier that day, it was felt that the concert he had worked to present should go on in his honor....   more→

November 26, 2011
UNSURPASSED SCENERY AND LAS VEGAS SUNSHINE AT THE 6TH ANNUAL RACING TO RECOVERY GOLF TOURNAMENT
Foundation supporters help raise over $176,000 to benefit paralysis patients, scientific research

  The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation’s 6th Annual Racing to Recovery Golf Tournament was held on November 17, 2011 at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, one of the most exclusive clubs in Las Vegas. The course is one of only four in the world co-designed by the late Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son Robert Trent Jones Jr....   more→

November 18, 2011
NEW 2012 IZOD INDYCAR SERIES CALENDAR NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER
Proceeds benefit 3 charities, including the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation

  United Medical Providers, Inc. (UMP) is proud to announce the release of the official 2012 IZOD IndyCar wall calendar. For the first time in history, proceeds of the calendar will benefit three racing-related charities: Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, Racing for Kids and Racing for Cancer. By purchasing the popular calendar, fans are doing their part to support all three organizations....   more→

November 10, 2011
ZERO ONE ODYSSEYS OFF-ROADING ADVENTURE FUNDRAISER
Nearly $3,000 raised to benefit SSPF

  Ever wonder what’s beyond the hills and city lights of Las Vegas?  Hidden in the fringe, the beauty and fun of the Mojave Desert beckons. Zero One Odysseys is a popular Las Vegas tour company specializing in unique off-road rally adventures and access to breathtaking sights and historic but forgotten desert towns....   more→

November 5, 2011
PRELIMINARY HUMAN EXPERIMENTS TO TEST SAFETY OF NERVE CELL TRANSPLANTS FOR SPINAL CORD PARALYSIS
by R. Douglas Fields, Reprinted from Scientific American

By R. Douglas Fields, reprinted from Scientific American, October 19, 2011 The new approach, currently being studied by the FDA for phase I trials, avoids the problems of immunological rejection and the controversy around the use of embryonic stem cells.  Human Schwann cells in the final product are generated from the sural nerve of an organ donor....   more→

October 19, 2011
HEARTFELT MESSAGE ON THE PASSING OF INDIANAPOLIS 500 CHAMPION DAN WHELDON
Fatal racing accident at Las Vegas Speedway on Sunday, October 16

  The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation board of directors extends our condolences to the family of Dan Wheldon.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan’s entire family and particularly his wife, Susie, and  their two sons, Sebastian and Oliver.  Dan was a big supporter of the Foundation and played an integral part in our Day at the Races program....   more→

October 15, 2011
MAKING A STAND FOR SSPF....
...A Lemonade Stand, that is

  Meet our newest Hero for Hope, Alexis (“Lexi”) Lewis.  An enterprising young lady from Indianapolis, Lexi set up a lemonade stand this summer to raise money for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. Besides lemonade, her menu listed bottled water and mom’s homemade cookies, which Lexi helped bake....   more→

October 14, 2011
RESEARCH REPORT: 2011 SAM SCHMIDT SELL FUND AWARD RECIPIENT
James Crew, M.D. of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

  The Sam Schmidt Sell Fund Award is the result of a productive partnership between the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, a respected foundation dedicated to the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury, and the American Spinal injury Association (ASIA), which has provided professional support to researchers and clinicians in the field of spinal cord medicine for nearly 40 years....   more→

October 13, 2011
GETTIN' IT DONE: CHRIS SALAS
Founder of the SCI support group "Rolling Inspiration"

The way for you to make your mark on the world might be through volunteering, like Chris Salas of San Antonio Texas.     After his spinal cord injury, Salas spent years of what he calls 'just surviving'. “It was tough at first,” he said. “I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself and doing nothing....   more→

October 12, 2011
GETTIN' IT DONE: JOE STONE, EXTREME SPORTS HAND CYCLIST
Extreme Sports Hand Cyclist

  A year ago, Joe Stone’s life as he knew it came crashing down on a Montana mountain.   An experienced skydiver and avid outdoorsman, Stone had just taken up speed flying, an extreme sport using a parachute-type canopy and skis to glide down mountains at high speeds close to the ground. His parachute became tangled and he slammed to the ground, sustaining a spinal cord injury –...   more→

October 11, 2011
GETTIN' IT DONE: ISAAC SCHREURS, SPRINT CAR DRIVER
"Never say I can't!"

  The top wing of Isaac Schreurs’ dirt track sprint car is emblazoned with the well-known “wheelchair accessibility” graphic.  His personal motto is “Never say I can’t!”. In 2005, 14-year-old Isaac was racing motocross when a jump threw him off the bike and he landed on square on his back....   more→

October 10, 2011
SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION HONORED BY NATIONAL FRATERNITY PSI UPSILON
Named Psi Upsilon's first fraternity-wide philanthropy

  The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation has been named as Psi Upsilon's first fraternity-wide philanthropy. Sam Schmidt was the founding president of Lambda Omega Sigma Fraternity at Pepperdine University. In 1998 the group became the Lambda Sigma chapter of Psi Upsilon. After graduating, Sam became an IndyCar driver until an accident in practice left him with a C-3/4/5 spinal cord injury....   more→

September 19, 2011
INDYCAR RACE WEEK IN LAS VEGAS HIGHLIGHTED BY CHARITY GOLF
Reprinted from GolfLasVegasNow.com, article by Brian Hurlburt

  Las Vegas, Nevada (September 19, 2011) - The IZOD IndyCar Season Finale takes place in the Las Vegas in October, and part of the week's festivities will include an exclusive charity golf tournament at Southern Highlands Golf Club. A limited field will participate in the sixth annual Racing to Recovery Golf Tournament presented by IZOD on Monday, Oct....   more→

September 16, 2011
MOJAVE DESERT CHARITY DRIVE - Monday, October 17, 2011
An off-road adventure with Zero One Odysseys

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation is excited to announce a new way to celebrate the end of the IndyCar race season and raise money for our organization.   On October 17 you can get off the asphalt and in the dirt to drive open-wheel cars through the Mojave Desert, while donating to the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation....   more→

September 15, 2011
WITH SINCERE SYMPATHY ON THE PASSING OF SAM SCHMIDT MOTORSPORTS TEAM MANAGER CHRIS GRIFFIS

  It has been a challenging time for everyone connected with the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Sam Schmidt Motorsports (SSM).  With great sadness we report the sudden passing of Chris Griffis, Team Manager of Sam Schmidt Motorsports.   The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation's Day at the Races trackside events would not be possible without the cooperation of many people, including the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team....   more→

September 10, 2011
6TH ANNUAL RACING TO RECOVERY GOLF TOURNAMENT MONDAY OCTOBER 17
Golf tournament, concert and off-road adventure to be held in conjunction with IndyCar Championship race weekend

  "We have been able to secure the fabulous Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas Nevada for our upcoming 6th Annual Racing to Recovery Golf Tournament, to be held on Monday, October 17", reported Ida Cahill, President/CEO.   Southern Highlands Golf Club is a private club and one of only four in the world co-designed by the late Robert Trent Jones Sr....   more→

August 31, 2011
INFINEON RACEWAY DAY AT THE RACES 2011
Wow.... what an awesome day at the Infineon Day at the Races!

  Over 70 people attended our Day at the Races Infineon event on August 27, 2011.  A large percentage were children with some type of spinal cord injury/disease and also several paralyzed or amputee Veterans.  Most of our guests came from Sacramento and the surrounding area, but one of the wounded warriors and his family traveled 6 hours to attend....   more→

August 6, 2011
2011 WORLD STEM CELL SUMMIT
To be held October 3-5 at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena California

      The 2011 World Stem Cell Summit is an event produced by the Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) and co-organized with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), City of Hope, Cedars Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California and the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles....   more→

August 4, 2011
CONCERT TO BEAT PARALYSIS
80's Brit Stars "The English Beat" to perform October 16 live at the House of Blues in Las Vegas

 Presented by William Rast Racing to Benefit the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation Tickets are on sale for a special concert With The English Beat on Sunday, October 16 at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The event is presented by William Rast, the New America Denim Culture brand founded by Justin Timberlake in 2005, and will benefit the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF)....   more→

July 14, 2011
A STEP BY STEP QUEST TO DECLARE MY INDEPENDENCE
By Shawn Dean

  For most Americans the Fourth of July invokes thoughts of fun, sun, heat, fireworks, cold drinks, grilling with friends and family, etc. But what sometimes gets lost in the mix is that the day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the nation forming document created by a group of men who cherished their independence from the King of England so much that they declared that they were their own independent states....   more→