VSA arts Receives Quality of Life Grant from Christopher Reeve Foundation

August 15, 2006

WASHINGTON, August 15, 2006 - VSA arts has been awarded a Quality of Life grant from the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF). The CRF awarded a total of $850,439 in Quality of Life grants to 139 nonprofit organizations around the world. VSA arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts, received $20,000 to underwrite the 2006 Start with the Arts Festival and International Education Conference in Washington.

The Start with the Arts Family Festival is designed to give children interactive experiences in all art forms while providing parents and teachers proven ideas, tips, and instructional materials to help children learn at home and in the classroom. The VSA arts International Education Conference brings together professionals in the arts, education, and disability fields to explore ways to create and support inclusive learning in schools and communities.

“This grant enables VSA arts to share more arts programming with children with disabilities and their parents, and increase inclusive classrooms through teacher education,” said Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts.

“The continuing growth of the Quality of Life grants program is a testament to the strong legacy left by Dana Reeve,” said Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the CRF. “Her spirit continues to inspire us as we work to make a real difference in the daily lives of those living with paralysis.”

The CRF Quality of Life Grants are awarded to programs or projects that improve the well-being of people living with paralysis, particularly spinal cord injuries. Funding is awarded in thirteen categories, including: accessibility, advocacy, arts, assistive technology, children, counseling, education, employment, health promotion, independent living, practical services, sports and recreation, and therapeutic riding.

Dana Reeve, the program’s founder, conceived the Quality of Life grants program in 1999 as a way for the CRF to improve the lives of those living with paralysis. Awarded biannually, this cycle of grants was the first since the March 6 passing of Dana Reeve. Since 1999, the CRF has awarded 1,073 grants totaling $8,503,576.

Grants in the health promotion category are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Cooperative Agreement number U10/CCU220379). Health promotion grants strive to remove societal and environmental barriers that limit the abilities of individuals living with paralysis to participate in life activities that improve physical and emotional health and prevent secondary conditions.

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit www.vsarts.org

The Christopher 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. For more information about the Quality of Life Program or for a complete list of the Quality of Life grant recipients, please visit our Web site at www.ChristopherReeve.org.