Quad Rugby/Story - USQRA Awarded Christopher Reeves Grant

UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION

2006

For immediate release
Contact John Ershek 615.294.8184 johnershek@comcast.net

January 9, 2006

UNITED STATES QUAD RUGBY ASSOCIATION (USQRA) NAMED RECIPIENT OF CHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION QUALITY OF LIFE GRANT. Grant to have direct impact on people living with paralysis in local communities.

NASHVILLE, TN – The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) announced today that the United States Quad Rugby Association (USQRA) has been awarded a $6,000 Quality of Life Grant. The CRF awarded a total of $581,034 in Quality of Life Grants to 86 nonprofit organizations around the world. Representing the second cycle of grants for 2005, the $581,043 total does not include an additional $100,000 which the Foundation granted to five gulf Coast charities in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The Quality of Life grants program was conceived by Dana Reeve, Chairman of the Christopher Reeve Foundation and co-founder of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. Reeve started the program with the goal of helping people living with disabilities in the “here” and “now”. Grants are awarded to programs or projects that improve the well being of people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries. Funding is awarded twice annually in thirteen categories: accessibility, advocacy, arts, assistive technology, children, counseling, education, employment, health promotion, independent living, practical services, sports and recreation, and therapeutic riding. Since 1999, the CRPF has awarded 933 Quality of Life grants totaling $8 million.

“I continue to be impressed and excited by the diverse, pioneering programs that CRF supports through the Quality of Life program,” said Kathy Lewis, CEO of the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

The USQRA plans to educate and train newly injured and existing quadriplegics who want to participate in the sport of wheelchair rugby.

This award will assist the USQRA in further developing the league by enabling it to further promote the sport of quad rugby so that new players can be found, trained and developed. This effort will serve quadriplegic men and women who wish to participate in the sport of wheelchair rugby. It is geared toward adults and teens. It allows athletes the opportunity to provide peer support to current and newly injured spinal cord injuries.

The USQRA is a community based wheelchair rugby league that was developed to allow quadriplegic spinal cord injured individuals to have a rehabilitative, recreational sport of their own. Sports mean many things in the lives of individuals. It is important that everyone has a physical outlet. Unfortunately, there are very few athletic opportunities for individuals in wheelchairs, especially for quadriplegics who have a higher level of dysfunction. The USQRA provides the opportunity for quadriplegics to compete in team sports. The sport of quad rugby promotes camaraderie, self-sufficiency, community awareness, positive self-image and provides a competitive outlet. It is important to remember the competitive spirit does not die with a spinal cord injury or disability.

Please make sure to see the award winning documentary MURDERBALL about the sport.

Murderball is the story of the US Paralympic wheelchair rugby team and their bitter rivalries on and off the court. It is a tale about a group of athletes unlike any ever put on screen. Watching these individuals both on-court and off reverses every preconception one has ever had about the handicapped. It redefines what it is to live a full life, and what it is to be a winner.

For more information about the Quality of Life Program or the grant application process, please contact the Quality of Life Grants office at (973) 467-8270, ext. 7211, or visit the website www.ChristopherReeve.org for a complete list of the Quality of Life grant recipients.

The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also vigorously works to improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities through its grants program, paralysis resource center, and advocacy efforts.

The mission of the USQRA is to provide quadriplegics with a competitive, athletic outlet that creates an atmosphere in which athletes are encouraged to reach their physical, social and emotional potential; furthermore the teams and their members serve as a resource to support and mentor fellow individuals with like disabilities. Come visit us at the website www.murderball.quadrugby.com and look for us in your local communities.

Hit Counter

How to Contact us | Quad Rugby Central Index