Announcing Our Biggest Grant Cycle Ever

We are welcoming 112 people into the #KBFamily!

This week we announced over $244,000 in grants to 112 people in 38 states. Our biggest grant class ever! These grants help individuals with paralysis purchase adaptive sports equipment and go out and go!

Our Adaptive Sports Equipment Grant Program is open to anyone with a spinal cord injury who needs adaptive sports equipment to take their active lifestyle to the next level. In addition to demonstrating an eligible injury and financial need, our application asks people to explain: (1) what specific equipment they’re applying for (brand and model); (2) how much experience they have with that equipment (at an adaptive sports program or borrowing/renting elsewhere); (3) why that equipment is right for them; and (4) how it will change their life. Each application is reviewed by a Grants Committee that includes members of the KBF Board of Directors and figures from within the adaptive sports community.

Our grant program is set up to help anyone chase a dream, whether an adventurer seeking dirt and freedom, a parent who just wants to cruise the neighborhood with their kids, an elite athletes seeking the pinnacle of their sport, or a weekend warrior finding community or independence in being active. These experiences are even more powerful because the barriers to be active with paralysis are real: physical, financial, and even the belief that it’s possible.

We’re going to work hard to deepen our connections with members of the #KBFamily as our community grows. Look for the faces, names, and stories of our new members over the coming months!

Read the full press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Zeke Davisson, 802-846-5298 or zeke@kellybrushfoundation.org

KELLY BRUSH FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES FALL 2017 ADAPTIVE SPORTS GRANT AWARDS
MORE THAN 100 AWARDS IN 38 STATES FOR EQUIPMENT TO BETTER LIVES OF THOSE WITH PARALYSIS

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Nov. 9, 2017)—The Kelly Brush Foundation has awarded 112 grants for adaptive sports equipment totaling $244,287 in support of the foundation’s mission to empower people with paralysis to live active and engaged lives, Executive Director Zeke Davisson, announced.

The grants are the foundation’s second round of Adaptive Sports Equipment Grants this year and its largest both in number of recipients and amount awarded, bringing this year’s total to $393,537 for the program.

“We cannot express how excited we are that the Kelly Brush Foundation continues to have such a powerful impact on the lives of so many living with paralysis by assisting with the purchase of specialized equipment that enables them to be active,” Davisson said. “Generous support from our donors has made it possible for us to more than quadruple our grant making in just three years. As we’ve increased our grant making, we’ve also seen demand grow. This year we received requests for $1.1 million in qualifying grants, more than three times just three years ago. These numbers motivate us to do even more to meet our mission and get more adaptive equipment to awesome people facing the challenges of paralysis.”

This fall’s grants went to recipients in 38 states. About half of the awards helped with the purchase of adaptive handcycles. Other equipment included monoskis, basketball chairs, quad rugby chairs, tennis chairs and ice hockey sleds.

The foundation also made grants totaling $33,712 through Path2Active partnerships with elite adaptive sports programs and rehabilitation hospitals. These grants have the same goal as the foundation’s individual grant program–empowering people to be active and independent–but are done in collaboration with programs that work directly with the people seeking equipment. Currently those partners are the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah; Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado; the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Illinois; the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Through the Path2Active program, 10 alumni of Craig Hospital received grants. The two organizations share a devotion to bettering the lives of those with paralysis, said Tom Carr, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at Craig Hospital.

“Craig Hospital believes in the power of sport and recreation to foster inclusion and help develop confidence, independence and strength both physical and emotional. We also know that the cost of equipment can be a barrier to participation. Together with Kelly Brush Foundation our Adaptive Equipment Scholarship is a way for us to partner with our graduates both to ensure they are getting the right piece of equipment and also to supplement a financial shortfall that prohibits them from acquiring equipment on their own,” Carr said.

Applications for Spring Cycle Adaptive Equipment Sports Grants will be taken starting in January with awards announced in March 2018. Visit www.kellybrushfoundation.org for information.

About the Kelly Brush Foundation: The Kelly Brush Foundation is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization inspiring and empowering people with paralysis to live active and engaged lives and improving safety in the sport of alpine ski racing. The foundation has helped purchase more than 600 pieces of adaptive sports equipment for individuals with paralysis. In addition, the foundation has supported ski clubs and race organizations in efforts to improve ski racing safety, helping protect thousands of racers around the country with safety netting, trail widening projects and awareness campaigns. Kelly Brush, together with her family, started the foundation in 2006 after she sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in NCAA Div. 1 competition as a member of the Middlebury College Ski Team in Vermont. www.kellybrushfoundation.org