July 19, 2013
Breathtaking driving experience will kick off 8th annual SSPF Racing to Recovery Golf Tournament!
South Shore Golf Club and Exotics Racing School to host 2-day event

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF) will host its 8th annual Racing to Recovery Golf Tournament November 3 and 4, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and South Shore Golf Club in Henderson.   The evening before the tournament, SSPF will host a special pre-golf party where Exotics Racing School will give guests the chance to drive their dream car around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway track....   more→

May 23, 2013
2013 Racing to Recovery Gala
Photo recap

Check out photos from Wednesday’s event at IndyStar.com!

May 18, 2013
Racing memorabilia, trips and more to be auctioned at SSPF fundraiser!
Tickets still available for Wednesday's Racing to Recovery Gala

Interested in a Napa Valley wine tasting trip? A behind-the-scenes walrus tour at the zoo? How about an Indiana Pacers basketball signed by ABA legends including Mel Daniels, George McGinnis and Bobby “Slick” Leonard? These are just a few of the dozens of items that will go on the auction block next Wednesday, May 22, at the annual Racing to Recovery Gala in downtown Indianapolis....   more→

April 9, 2013
SSPF to honor Al Speyer at Racing to Recovery Gala
Tickets available now for star-studded Indy event

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation (SSPF) announces it will host the 14th annual Racing to Recovery Gala Wednesday, May 22, at The Crane Bay in downtown Indianapolis.  The Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. During the event, SSPF founder Sam Schmidt will present the 2013 Legends of Racing Award to Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing....   more→

April 9, 2013
A Wounded Warrior's ambitious plan
Helping SCI families make a fresh start

Gary Harris of Gainesville, Florida, first met Sam Schmidt while he and ten of his fellow Wounded Warriors were Sam’s guests at the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg. Gary is someone you would call a fighter. A decorated veteran of the Iraq War, his time as an aircraft firefighter in the U.S. Navy set him up for an even bigger battle when he returned home....   more→

April 9, 2013
Important information for people with spinal cord injuries
Applying for Social Security Disability with paralysis

By Ram Meyyappan, www.socialsecurity-disability.org  Paralysis can result from various circumstances. It may be caused by an accident or injury or may be associated with a disease or disorder. Regardless of cause however, paralysis is always due to nerve damage, and dependent upon the extent of the paralysis and the area(s) of the body affected, you may qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits....   more→

April 4, 2013
Thousands raised in 4th annual Honda Grand Prix Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon

Over 700 runners, walkers and wheelers participated March 22nd in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 5K Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon, presented by Trim Nutrition. The fourth annual event raised over $31,000 to benefit the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and PBA/Suncoast Law Enforcement Charities.Participants had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run, walk or wheel their way around the very course that the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series competed on during the March 24 season-opening race....   more→

March 8, 2013
Date set for 2013 Racing to Recovery Gala!
Event will honor Al Speyer with the Legends of Racing Award

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation is pleased to announce the 2013 Racing to Recovery Gala will take place Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at the Crane Bay in Indianapolis. Keep checking here for more details as we get closer to the event. For ticket and sponsorship information, email: [email protected]...   more→

March 8, 2013
Register now for the Honda Grand Prix 5K Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon
Experience every turn and straightaway as you run right on the track!

Registration is open for the fourth annual Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 5K Run, Walk 'N Wheelathon. The event will take place Friday, March 22, as part of festivities surrounding the IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener. Trim Nutrition, official nutrition partner for the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights and a leader in wellness supplements and sustained energy products, is the presenting sponsor of the event....   more→

November 28, 2011
GETTIN' IT DONE: COREY C, MASTER OF EMPATHY

Indycar driver Davey Hamilton at the track with Corey C. Many of the people featured in our column, “Gettin’ It Done”, are newsmakers whose accomplishments are covered in print or online. Despite their physical challenges they travel the world, climb mountains, or succeed in business or extreme sports....   more→

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→