The nominations are in for the 12 Days of Charitable Giving 2010. Our sixth of twelve charities to be featured this year is Roll 2 Walk, a nonprofit organization with three goals:
- make recovery-based training the standard
- make our training program more accessible
- change the perception of SCI recovery—that recovery is possible.
Here’s what our nominee had to say:
Roll 2 Walk is a physical training program for people with spinal cord injuries where hard work leads to greater confidence, independence, mobility,…and HOPE. Here is a little history of how it began.
Ten years ago, I was in a car accident that left me paralyzed from the chest down. As a college athlete, I was determined not to accept the doctors’ prognosis that I would never get better. I did various types of physical therapy over the next three years; however, none gave me the results I desired. I then discovered a place in California where people with spinal cord injuries could participate in intense exercise based training and gain tremendous improvement. Some people entered the program in a wheelchair and left walking. I knew this was the kind of therapy for which I was searching.
Having been married for only six months, my husband and I left our family and friends in Texas so that I could workout at this training facility. For three years, I trained for six to ten hours a week in addition to working as a CPA. I regained my independence and was able to walk with arm crutches by the time we decided to return home.
In December of 2008, my husband and I founded Roll 2 Walk in Austin, Texas, so people wouldn’t have to travel half way across the country to get the same opportunity I did. As a start-up non profit organization, we have managed to keep our doors open, obtain most of the necessary equipment, and train 27 clients to date. However, we still lack the funds to purchase an FES Bike. This bike uses electric stimulation to initiate muscle movement in paralyzed limbs. We also provide scholarships for clients who cannot afford the training program, which is not covered by insurance.
Please help us in our mission to keep hope alive for those who have had it all but crushed! To give visit our web site at www.roll2walk.org and click on the donate button. You can also send a check made to Roll 2 Walk to the following address. Our tax-exempt number is 26-3245348.
Thank you very much!
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Roll 2 Walk also has a fairly active Facebook page.
