Testaverde Fund For Spinal Cord Injury Inc

Programs: The testaverde fund for spinal cord injury, inc. Is a 501c3 federally tax exempt organization formed in 2003 as a means of raising funds for spinal cord injury research and providing community outreach and educational programs. The fund is named after joe testaverede from wantagh, long island. While joe is lucky to be alive today, as a result of the injury, he is paralyzed from the waist down, and has lost dexterity in both hands. Joe is also the cousin of former ny jets quarterback and heisman trophy winner vinny testaverde. The thrust behind the testaverde fund first began in 2001 when a core group of joes friends and family aligned themselves with sci pioneer kent waldrep to become the northeast regional chapter of the national paralysis foundation. That core became its executive committee of volunteers, who had acted as a support network for joe and his family during his ordeal. Following joes rehabilitation, they decided to devote their time and effort to help raise funds for a cure and more recently to help families who have suffered the trauma of having a loved one succumb to spinal cord injury. In addition, the group assembled a prominent advisory board, enlisting the support of sports figures, business executives and government officials, who have lent their name to the cause. When kent left his foundation in 2003, the ne chapter continued its work, applying for and receiving its own tax exempt status and renaming the organization the testaverde fund for spinal cord injury,inc. The testaverde fund supports research being done by the spinal cord injury project at the state university of new jersey at rutgers, under the leadership of dr. Wise young. In their labs, state of the art molecular, genetic and cellular research gives new hope to kids like joe around the world, who dream of one day walking away from their wheel chairs.