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Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

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Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Founded1982
Location
Key people
Maggie Goldberg
(President and CEO)
Denise Andersen
(Chief Development Officer)
Marco Baptista
(Chief Scientific Officer)
Websitechristopherreeve.org

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, dedicated to finding treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.

The organization's mission statement states: "We are dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis."[1] As of 2024, it has distributed over $140 million to spinal cord researchers,[2] and $46 million to nonprofits that aim to support better quality-of-life for people with disabilities.[3]

History

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The foundation was started in 1982 by Hank Stifel, whose son Henry had been injured in a motor vehicle accident. Its original name was the Stifel Paralysis Research Foundation. In the mid-1980s, Stifel approached the American Paralysis Association (APA) about a merger under the APA banner.[4] In 1995, actor Christopher Reeve became quadriplegic as a result of a horse riding accident. Reeve reached out to the APA and raised funds for it. He joined the board of directors and was elected chairman. In 1996, Reeve established the Christopher Reeve Foundation. In 1999, CRF and APA merged into the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Later, the word "paralysis" was dropped from its name and the organization was called the Christopher Reeve Foundation.[5][6]

After Reeve's death in October 2004, his widow, Dana Reeve, assumed the chairmanship of the Foundation. Dana Reeve herself died 17 months later, in March 2006, of lung cancer.[7]

On March 11, 2007, the Foundation announced that it had changed its name to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation on the first anniversary of Dana Reeve's death.[8] As of 2024, all three of Christopher Reeve's children serve on the foundation's board of directors.[9] They are television reporter and anchor Will Reeve, film producer and director Matthew Reeve, and lawyer Alexandra Reeve Givens.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our History". Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Our Approach to Research". Reeve Foundation. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Funding for Nonprofits / Quality of Life Grants". Reeve Foundation. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Press Kit". Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  5. ^ Johnson, Deborah (March 16, 2022). "Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation: 40 years of life-changing work in SCI". Neuro Rehab Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  6. ^ "Christopher & Dana Reeve — Their Foundation, Their Champions". Ability Magazine. November 2009. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Smolowe, Jill (March 27, 2006). "Dana Reeve Brave to the End". People. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "Christopher Reeve Foundation Changes Name" (Press release). Reeve Foundation. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "Board of Directors". Reeve Foundation. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
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