Courage Center grant from Reeve Foundation supports nutrition and weight management

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - April 3, 2013 - PRLog -- Courage Center Contact
Sue Warner, communications specialist
763-520-0263, sue.warner@couragecenter.org

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Contact
Janelle LoBello
800-225-0292, media@ChristopherReeve.org

(Minneapolis, Minn., April 3, 2013) – A $10,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has been awarded to Minneapolis-based nonprofit Courage Center. The award was one of 76 grants totaling almost $427,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that provide more opportunities, access, and daily quality of life for people living with paralysis, their families and caregivers. Created by the late Dana Reeve, the program has awarded 2,131 grants totaling more than $16 million since 1999.  

Courage Center will use the grant to expand an innovative nutrition and weight management program for people with disabilities. Funding will enable Courage Center to train staff members on nutrition and weight management curriculum created specifically for people with spinal cord injuries; expand access to fitness and weight management services for low- income clients; and increase the number of people completing the weight management curriculum. Through the development, publication and distribution of this program, Courage Center will be able to improve the health and quality of life for persons living with disabilities.

“We are honored to receive this grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation,” said Jan Malcolm, CEO of Courage Center. “The Reeve Foundation has been an important partner in Courage Center’s mission to empower people with disabilities to realize their full potential in every aspect of life. The Reeve Foundation’s support of our nutrition and weight management program will increase the quality of life of many clients who have struggled to find effective, accessible weight management programs.”

“The Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life Grants Program has always been a cornerstone of one of our core beliefs, the power of we. By supporting these organizations that align with the same beliefs as ours, we are better able to help our community members live more independently,” said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “We are pleased to reward a number of tremendous organizations for their efforts.”

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program was conceived by the late Dana Reeve to address the myriad needs of children and adults with paralysis and other mobility impairments and their families. Grants support critical life-enhancing and life-changing initiatives that improve physical and emotional health and increase independence. Funded projects offer a diversity of services and approaches: improving access; providing education and job training; sponsoring organized sporting activities; and much more. Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Award #1U59DD000838).  

About the Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is a program of the Reeve Foundation, and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Award No. 1U59DD000838. For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.

About Courage Center
Courage Center is a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center that advances the lives of children and adults experiencing barriers to health and independence. At Courage Center, we specialize in treating brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, chronic pain, autism, and disabilities experienced since birth.  Founded in 1928, Minneapolis-based Courage Center offers advanced technologies and innovation provided in part through the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors. For more information visit www.couragecenter.org.