A HOT United Spinal Summer!
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What a great summer it has been so far! Last year’s planning and organization has paid off and yielded a truly diverse and wondrous summer harvest of events, excitement and victories. Earlier in the summer, we witnessed a truly one-of-a-kind event: the United Spinal Disability Leadership Summit, where some of the best and brightest leaders from the disabilities community came together to discuss community issues and potential solutions. Disability awareness climbed with the summer heat as the walkers of Merrill Lynch took to wheelchairs and slugged it out with the United Spinal wheelers in a wheelchair basketball grudge match. A few weeks later, wheelchair users who attended the United Spinal Aetna Free Wheelchair Clinic got their wheelchairs and scooters tuned up and their heads filled with good advice from our Wheelchair Medic team of expert repair technicians. While some of us were heading out on vacation, our Advocacy and Public Policy staff hit the streets and headed for the Hill, where they rallied United Spinal’s grassrooters and supporters to bring home a House win on the Restoration of the Americans with Disabilities Act – legislation that guarantees fair treatment in the workplace for people with disabilities. Not content to rest on their laurels, they then jumped into and ultimately won the battle to override a presidential veto of a Medicare bill that would have placed restrictions on medical care, and the quality of wheelchairs supplied to clients. Behind the scenes, our Communications and Assistive Technology staff spent the early summer days hard at work, putting the finishing touches on a new publication called From Canes to Wheelchairs: Mobility Alternatives. This free guide aims to assist people in selecting the wheelchair or mobility aid that will best allow them to regain their independence. While all this was going on, our VetsFirst Veterans Counselors helped older veterans and newly returned servicemen and women alike get the benefits they deserve, one at a time, one-on-one, every day. That’s not all! Summer is not yet over, and there are still many more great things in store; United Spinal’s Independence Expo in Orlando, for starters, featuring disability-related workshops, manufacturers exhibiting their products, thousands of dollars worth of raffle prizes, and it’s all free. Of course, how could we forget the children? Summer is a special time for all kids, and special is just what they will be at the United Spinal 2008 Kids Sports Spectacular, hosted by Comcast Spectacor / Wachovia Center. Kids who are wheelchair users will enjoy a free day of sports and activities, where every kid is a winner. Parents, friends and the United Spinal staff will be winners as well, as they witness the magic that exists in the smiles and laughter of children. Later in the summer, the sun turns the intellectual heat on as leaders in the fields of spinal cord injury care and research put their heads together in Orlando for the United Spinal-sponsored Congress of Spinal Cord Medicine and Rehabilitation. From there, the action moves to the Big Apple, where United Spinal collaborates with RealAbilities on the First NY Disabilities Film Festival. This sizzling event will present award-winning films and discussions that celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience. What a great summer! You can keep hot events like these going all year round by making a generous donation today. The best to all, |
