Kessler Foundation Receives Quality Of Life Grant from Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
Kessler Foundation is proud to announce that it has received a $13,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
August 5, 2009(West Orange, NJ August 2, 2009) – Kessler Foundation is proud to announce that it has received a $13,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one of 86 grants totaling almost $500,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that help people living with paralysis and their families become more integrated members of society. Since inception of the program in 1999, nearly 1,600 grants have been awarded, totaling almost $13 million.
Kessler Foundation will use the grant to help fund a consumer conference for 100 attendees that will address the key issue that affects quality of life for people with spinal cord injury (SCI)—employment. This 'Actively Achieving' Quality of Life grant from the Reeve Foundation ensures the success of the conference, which is being funded through a cooperative agreement between Kessler Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Life After Spinal Cord Injury Conference:
Empowering People With Spinal Cord Injury to Compete in Today's Workforce"
This conference will focus on educating individuals and their families about the factors that enhance their ability to work and connect them with the resources necessary to regain or maintain their jobs, namely education, community mobility, functional independence and minimal medical complications. "Benefits of employment extend beyond the economic for people with disabilities," said Rodger DeRose, president and CEO of Kessler Foundation. "Integration into the community provides opportunities for social networking and recreational activities and promotes an active, healthful lifestyle. Most importantly, employment establishes people with disabilities as productive workers and integral members of our community."
In this difficult job market, helping people with disabilities identify and utilize the resources they need to find work is more important than ever before. "Life After Spinal Cord Injury" provides the opportunity for people with SCI to learn about the range of helpful resources available and to network with professionals and peers.
"The Quality of Life program recognizes and supports organizations that assist individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers in ways that more immediately provide them with increased independence, well being, and improved access," said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "Throughout the past ten years, we have had the privilege of being able to impact the lives of thousands of people living with paralysis through these deserving organizations. As Dana Reeve used to say, 'our Quality of Life program is about freedom' and we are pleased to do our small part to assist Kessler Foundation in fulfilling its mission."
The Reeve Foundation's Quality of Life grants are awarded twice a year and are divided into three categories, Actively Achieving, Bridging Barriers and Caring and Coping. Some grants are also funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement # 1U59DD000338).
About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. For more information, and to review the entire list of Quality of Life grant recipients, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation is a public charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with physical disabilities caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, injuries to the brain and spinal cord, and other chronic conditions. The Foundation's approach is twofold—supporting rehabilitation research through Kessler Foundation Research Center and promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities through Kessler Foundation Program Center. Kessler Foundation's ThinkFirst Prevention Program, an educational outreach program, sends school-age children a clear message--avoiding risky behavior can reduce the risk of disabling injuries for themselves and others.
Discover more about Kessler Foundation at www.KesslerFoundation.org
