The Arc of Loudoun wins $21K from Reeve Foundation

The Arc of Loudoun, a Leesburg not-for-profit organization serving people with disabilities across the region, has announced that it has been awarded $21,780 as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center 2024 Direct Effect 1st Cycle Quality of Life grants.

Seventy-three grants totaling $1,472,579 were awarded. The Quality of Life Grants Program supports nonprofit organizations empowering individuals with paralysis.

Since the Quality of Life Grants Program’s inception, more than 3,800 grants totaling $44 million have been awarded. Funding for this program was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living.

The Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center has several grants under the Quality of Life program awarding grants in different category areas, varying in different amounts.

“These grants are dedicated to restoring independence to our community members,” said Dan McNeal, Director of the Quality of Life Grants Program at the Reeve Foundation. “Our primary mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with paralysis. We are honored to collaborate with numerous committed organizations that tirelessly ensure accessibility and inclusivity and are integral to their programs.”

The Arc of Loudoun’s Ability Fitness Center used the grant to help fund the purchase of a LiteGait 400D rehabilitation device, a powered, robotic harness system helping the center’s clients exercise and increase their functional ability. Ability Fitness Center picks up where healthcare and insurance coverage leaves off, enabling people with paralysis, mobility-related disorders and neurological conditions to continue to exercise and heal with expert clinicians and specialized, state-of-the-art equipment.

The LiteGait is already installed and in use at the center. It’s a crucial addition to one the center has used successfully for years, and which has been one of the most popular pieces of equipment in the center.

“The new LiteGait device means our clients and staff can make the most of their time here, since our clients won’t have to wait for their turn to use this piece of equipment,” Ability Fitness Center Clinical irector Helen Parker, DPT, said.

“We pride ourselves on providing the state-of-the-art services and equipment that our clients need. We
all thank the Reeve Foundation for helping us provide this life-changing therapeutic exercise. It is already making a real difference to the people we serve,” she said.

This project is supported by the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of a financial assistance award totaling $8,700,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS.