Spring 2020 Active Fund Grant Class Announced

$93k Amount Awarded

21 Grant Recipients

15 States

Kelly Brush Foundation Awards 21 Active Fund Grants for Spring 2020

The Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF) added 21 new grant recipients to the KBF family this spring. The KBF’s Active Fund provides grants to people with spinal cord injuries to help purchase the adaptive sports equipment they need to get active, play sports, and find independence, freedom and community. The organization was proud to award over $93,000 in grants despite the cancellation of two (out of a total of four) major annual fundraising events due to COVID-19. The KBF has an amazing network of supporters who backed the organization during this difficult time, and it is thanks to their generosity that 21 deserving applicants will soon be receiving their very own adaptive sports equipment.

It was incredibly hard to choose just 21 people out of the 114 who applied this spring, with a total funding request for $500,000 in adaptive sports equipment. There were many people who applied and certainly deserved a grant, and the KBF is grateful to everyone who took the time to submit an application.

Meet Four Spring 2020 Grant Recipients

Hannah – All-Terrain Chair

“This sport reminds me of who I am. For a long time, I felt so disconnected and lost. I am extremely adventurous, daring, an adrenaline junky, and athlete at heart. I felt stuck, unsure of what my future would look like. But once I started to see other adaptive athletes, it proved to me that I still have the chance to be even better than I used to be. This sport makes me feel alive, gives me a purpose, and a sense of community that I’ve never experienced before.”

Brice – Offroad Handcycle

“I have always loved being outside and playing outside, but i never knew how much I loved mtn biking till I got my opportunity… and after the mtn biking clinic I just fell in love with it. Being paralyzed does put up limits if you let it, and until that week I never even thought about going hiking up muddy trails and riding through streams. I can’t think of a better way to spend a weekend then riding down a good mtn trail and finding a good spot to take in a view.”

Sara – Handcycle

“Having this handcycle would change my life by giving me the opportunity to be active again. The Zen you get riding a bike, the peace of mind, the clarity, the sense of meditation almost. It will help me be active with people I love & people I’m close with. It’s a great opportunity to get out in the local SCI community & meet others too.”

Mason – Monoski

“Anyone living New England as well as any northern latitudes that experience months of cold, snow, and decreased daylight recognize how difficult winter can be. With this, I have found it’s incredibly important for positive mental health to have some sort of activity or anything to look forward to in the winter months. This could be ice-fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fat tire biking, downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc. In my life, it has always been downhill skiing. “