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OUR
MISSION...
The Kate Kimberly Foundation is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) by
helping to increase
adaptive sports & recreational opportunities throughout the country.
It is our mission to assist the disabled community,
SCI individuals in particular, by supporting innovative scientific research to treat and cure paralysis as well as by providing
opportunities for wheelchair users to GET ACTIVE and pursue their athletic and recreational passions!!
We have developed the following
initiatives, to acheive our goal to "RETURN FREEDOM TO THOSE WHO HAVE HAD IT TAKEN AWAY":
** The Kate Kimberly Foundation will use our Organization Grant Program
to provide financial
support to the countless indispensable 501(c)3 adaptive sports and recreation
programs around the country
** The Kate Kimberly Foundation will encourage innovative
research to treat paralysis and increase quality of life for individuals living with paralysis by establishing funds such
as the Harriett and James C. Owen Therapuetic Recreation Fund which will be set up Fall 2006
to support the SCI therapeutic recreation program at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta
** The Kate Kimberly Foundation
will continue to expand our Individual Grant Program to encourage SCI individuals to pursue an
active lifestyle post-injury. The Individual Grant program will provide funding for adaptive
sports and recreational equipment necessary to allow those living with
paralysis to pursue their passions, achieve their goals and reach for new
aspirations
** The Kate Kimberly Foundation will maintain a reliable,
up-to-date website to provide extensive information about Spinal Cord Injury
including: guidance for dealing with SCI- both in the early days and down the
road, updates on SCI research advancements, personal anecdotes about living
with SCI, and links to other organizations, adaptive sports programs and
adaptive equipment
The Kate Kimberly Foundation was created after its founder inured a T12/L1 spinal cord injury while backcountry skiing
in Jackson Hole, WY. Despite losing her ability to walk, Kate was determined not to be "stuck" in a wheelchair. Avid involvement
in a variety of adaptive adventures and action wheelchair sports has helped Kate regain the freedom, independence and active
lifestyle evading her since her skiing accident in March '03.
Playing and competing in these activities can be incredibly
rewarding but often requires expensive adaptive equipment, equipment rarely covered by even the best insurance plans. We feel
that financial limitations should not deny anyone the thrills, rewards and sense of freedom brought on regaining an active
lifestyle.
The Kate Kimberly Foundation is dedicated to
inspiring, informing and enabling individuals with SCI by providing individual grants and reliable information for everything from sports chairs and all-terrain mountain
handcycles to sit-skis and adaptive adventure programs.
Our Organization Grant Program awards financial support to 501(c)3 organizations that are designed either to foster
innovative research to cure or treat spinal cord injuries or to improve opportunities, accessibility and/or quality of life for individuals living with disabilities, primarily paralysis, and their families.
This program recognizes the many unique needs of these individuals and the importance of providing services and programs that
enable them to participate in all areas of life.
Until
the last decade or so, it was firmly believed that due to the non-regenerative nature of the spinal cord, finding a cure for
spinal cord injuries was next to impossible. Now there is hope that in the next decade
wheelchair bound spinal cord injury survivors will walk again.
The
Kate Kimberly Foundation fully supports scientific research programs and studies dedicated
to finding a CURE FOR PARALYSIS! We also recognize the need to support scientific studies focusing on the
other areas of SCI research, such as: improvement in SCI treatment (both acute and long-term), better management and understanding of chronic pain, and improved assessment of therapies or devices designed to maximize
functional recovery and fitness.
The Kate Kimberly Foundation is also committed to assisting other 501(c)3 non-profit organizations that
deal with the day to day challenges faced by individuals living with spinal cord injuries. For the most part this includes
organizations dedicated to promoting and providing access to sports and recreation, but any 501(c)3 non-profit organiztion
supporting SCI is welcome to request funding assistance.
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