Water actives and swim instruction for children with special needs
Rocklin, Calif. – Rocklin Swim Team is proud to announce that it has received a $4,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one of 102 grants totaling $721,425 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 2,900 grants totaling over $20 million since 1999.
Funding for the grants is made available through the Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) operated by the Reeve Foundation under a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Rocklin Swim Team will use the grant for its Adaptive Aquatics Program that provides water actives and swim instruction for children with special needs.
Rocklin Swim Team is honored to receive this award and expresses its sincerest gratitude to the Reeve Foundation. The contribution will make a lasting impact and improve the quality of life for children with disabilities. The Rocklin Swim Team piloted its Adaptive Aquatics Program in August 2016 with assistance from ‘Love, Olivia’, a local non-profit dedicated to providing support to children with special needs and their families. Through this program, children with disabilities experience aquatic activities in a positive environment with support from swim instructors, a certified lifeguard, and a physical therapist.
The grants awarded in the second cycle of 2016 were distributed among a wide variety of categories, including recreation, sports and leisure, advocacy, equipment and other independent living-related services. A significant number of projects focus on community re- integration initiatives such as assistive technology programs, home accessibility modifications, accessible transportation, and accessible playgrounds that create more community opportunities for those living with paralysis and their families.
“It’s important to find balance while filling the needs of the community, especially those living in underserved areas,” said Donna Valente, Director of Quality of Life Grants. “People may live only a few blocks from an outstanding adaptive recreation program, but if they don’t have a ramp to get out of their homes or accessible transportation to get to that location, they can’t participate in the activity, and we really aren’t meeting the overall goal of this program. That’s why we examine every proposed project to see the impact it will have in the community, and try to determine how we can best help them reach their full potential.”
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. The Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is the support side of the Reeve Foundation’s twin missions to provide “Today’s Care” and to strive for “Tomorrow’s Cure” and offers a free, comprehensive, national source of informational support for individuals living with paralysis and their caregivers. We meet all 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for charity accountability and hold the BBB’s Charity Seal. For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.
About Rocklin Swim Team
The mission of the Rocklin Swim Team is to provide the culture, training, and development for swimmers of all ages and abilities to become all that they choose to become. Rocklin Swim Team aims to create a world-class aquatics program in the City of Rocklin where dreams are achieved, challenges are conquered, and swimming is fun.
