Stroll 'N Roll for People with Disabilities at Verona Park
Kessler Foundation's 12th Annual Stroll 'N Roll to benefit people with disabilities, sponsored in part by Gibbons PC and Liz and David Lowenstein, will be held on Sunday, October 13th at Verona Park in Verona, NJ. Every dollar raised funds rehabilitation research and employment initiatives for people with disabilities.
“Stroll ‘N Roll is our community signature event of the year,” said Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation. “It’s the perfect day for people of all ages and abilities to come together and support our mission to change the lives of people with disabilities. Funds raised help individuals with paralysis take their first steps and improve their mobility; others with multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury improve their thinking, learning and memory; stroke survivors regain their independence; and job seekers with disabilities find employment and earn a paycheck.”
In addition to a stroll or roll around the lake at Verona Park, the event also features carnival games, magic acts, balloon art, food from local vendors and music—provided by a DJ group from Pathways for Exceptional Children. Pathways, a career mentorship program for students with disabilities located in Montville, N.J., is a grantee of Kessler Foundation. Members from Verona High School and Middle School will perform the National Anthem. Special political guests include The Honorable Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), N.J. Senator Loretta L. Weinberg (D-37), Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey (D-27), Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin (D-34), and Montclair Mayor Robert D. Jackson. Information Alley will feature exhibit booths from local businesses, sponsors, and disability service representatives.
Ambassadors for the event include Scott Chesney, from Verona, N.J., and Kevin Greene, from Kearney, N.J. Chesney was paralyzed at age 15. Now, more than 20 years later, he is a world-renowned motivational speaker. Chesney also participates in spinal cord injury research at Kessler Foundation and received its 2013 Community Inspirational Leadership Award.
Seven years ago, on his 22nd birthday, Greene was in a car accident that resulted in paralysis from the waist down and a brain injury. He found a new career path, thanks to a laboratory technician training program supported by Kessler Foundation. Now, he manages a medical laboratory and participates in traumatic brain injury research studies at the Foundation. He also educates students across N.J., grades K-12, about avoiding injury through the New Jersey chapter of ThinkFirst—sponsored for more than 20 years by Kessler Foundation.
For more information and online registration, visit www.kesslerfoundation.org/SNR. Registration is $25 for individuals and $50 for a family of up to five members. Participants can form teams and ask for donations. Stroll ‘N Roll begins at 9 a.m. and is expected to finish around noon. Family dogs are welcome. Commemorative t-shirts are included in registration. Sweatshirts and silly bands bracelets will be available for purchase at the event.
Other sponsors include Burger King, Colonial Consulting, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, C.R. Bard Foundation, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, The Cormac Group, Jesse Itzler and Sara Blakely, NK Architects, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Schinman and Wakefern Food Corporation/ShopRite.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
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Contacts:
Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384, 973.768.6583 - c, [email protected]
Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, [email protected]
