by Jason Jones
The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) received a three-year grant totaling $600,000 from the Administration on Community Living. The project, Wellness Edge, is a Paralysis Resource Center State Pilot program grant. It will build connection within local communities to enhance and facilitate access to recreational programs to better serve people with paralysis and their support networks.
Wellness Edge will provide grants of up to $10,000-$24,999 to community organizations that provide organized recreational activities that are intentionally designed to benefit individuals, groups or communities.
An estimated 5.4 million people live with paralysis in the United States. The leading causes of paralysis are stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. People impacted by paralysis are more likely to have health risk factors, such as being overweight, smoking and not being active; which put them at greater risk of developing secondary conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Entities that apply for funding in the first year of the grant will have a shorter cycle(8 months) than those in years two and three due to the development of application and conditions of awards. If you do not feel like there is enough time in the first year to implement your project, please note that an equal amount of funding will be available in years two and three with a full year cycle.
Wellness Edge will be led by a ten-person advisory committee made up of advocates who understand the importance of recreation in the overall quality of life for people with paralysis. Smaller review teams from that group will grade the applications and decide on awards.\
Community grant applications and tips for applying are now available at https://www.wellness4ky.org/wellnessedge/. The deadline for the first round of award applications is Monday, September 17, 2018.