Press release from West Asheville Presbyterian Church:
WEST ASHEVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH RECEIVES $25,000 GRANT FROM CHRISTOPHER & DANA REEVE FOUNDATION FOR MAKING THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE CHURCH FULLY ACCESSIBLE
Asheville, NC – (February 26, 2015) – The Asheville Presbyterian Church is proud to announce
that it has received a $25,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve
Foundation. The award was one of 75 grants totaling over $600,137 awarded by the Reeve
Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that provide more opportunities, access, and
daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families, and caregivers. Conceived
by the late Dana Reeve, the program has awarded over 2,400 grants totaling over $18 million
since 1999.
West Asheville Presbyterian Church will use the grant, along with other funds to make its
Dining Room and Kitchen and bathrooms fully wheel chair accessible. This will make that space
useful for groups and organizations needing a place for meetings, gatherings and meals.
West Asheville has already embarked on an effort to use its building as a community center for
West Asheville, with a variety of groups and organizations meeting in the building. These
improvements to the lower floor will open the facility up to many more such groups and
organizations.
The officers and members of the West Asheville Presbyterian Church are most grateful to the
Reeves Foundation for making these improvements possible. Pastor Kent Smith has
commented that: “Our goal is to serve the people of West Asheville without restrictions or
concerns.” An Elder of the church, Mr. Pat Price has been appointed to oversee the project of
making the building accessible to all.
“The Reeve Foundation is committed to supporting programs and resources that foster
independent living, improved health and community engagement,” said Maggie Goldberg, Vice
President of Policy and Programs, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “The recognized
grantees are instrumental to our work at the Reeve Foundation as we strive to serve the
disability community with a roadmap of resources and programs to enhance their quality of
life.”
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants Program was created to
address the myriad needs of children and adults living with paralysis, as well as provide
assistance and education to their families and caregivers. Funded programs serve individuals
living with spinal cord injury and other injuries, diseases or birth conditions, including but not
limited to, stroke, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS). The grants support life-changing initiatives that aim to increase quality of life
by improving physical and emotional health, broadening community engagement,
and increasing independence. Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative
agreement with the Administration for Community Living (cooperative agreement number
90PR3001-01-00).
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
Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(cooperative agreement number 90PR3001-01-00). For more information, please visit our
website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.