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             Help Today. Independence Tomorrow.
 
Check Out Our First Ever TopGolf Charity Event!

Where
TopGolf Fort Worth - 2201 East 4th Street, Ft. Worth, TX 76102
When
Monday, July 22, 2019 1-4 PM

Join us at TopGolf in Fort Worth on Monday, July 22 for an afternoon of fun and friendly competition! In addition to high tech golf, great food and refreshing beverages, we will also be hosting a whiskey pull. Come ready with a little extra cash to win a bottle of Whiskey! You'll never know what you'll win unless you play.... 


OR you can email Joy Hetrick at joy@neuroassistance.org. 
The Hot Hatch Chili Run, Walk & Roll is Back!

Where
Central Market
1425 East Southlake Boulevard 
Southlake, TX 76092

When
Saturday, August 24, 2019 
1 Mile Fun Run: 7:30 AM 
5K: 8:11 AM
10K: 8:01 AM
*Handcyclists one minute prior to runners/walkers*

Register online at Playtri.com

Ahoy Matey! says the Pirate...  













Last August my husband Ben and I had the pleasure of attending the Abilities Expo in Houston, Texas. While we were there Ben met a few pirates! And they were recruiting! 

The Dive Pirates Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing scuba diving to persons with mobility disabilities. They began in 2003 with a focus on serving disabled military, law enforcement, and first responders. Their outreach has expanded over the years and they are thrilled to share their passion for scuba diving with a broad community. 

Ben and I traveled with the Pirates from June 22-June 29, 2019 to the island of Cayman Brac (a small island near Grand Cayman in the Caribbean) where we got to experience our first scuba diving adventure! The Pirates plan the trip at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort with three dives per day (excluding the day of arrival and departure). While diving in the deep blue sea we swam with sea turtles, barracuda, lovely fish all of shapes and colors, a seahorse and even saw two sharks! While life under the sea was amazing, it was the community and staff that really enhanced our experience. Dive Pirates coordinates with many master divers and adaptability divers to be on each boat and dive with the newbies. It's easy to immediately connect with your boat crew and become quick friends. Furthermore, they ensure you are safe and comfortable throughout your dives. 

If you have a love for adventure, give the Dive Pirates a call! You can read more about their organization and opportunities to get involved on their website:  divepirates.org.  


Haircuts at Home! 

Need a haircut? But want to avoid the hassle of going out? Well here is your solution! The Traveling Barbers offer in-home haircuts to individuals living with a disability. All you have to do is visit their website, submit some contact information and the general price point you are interested in staying under, and the one of their stylists will reach out to you. Simple as can be! 

To check out their website or submit a request for your first in-home haircut, visit their website at  https://thetravelingbarbers.org/
A Little Monkey Business!
I stepped out of my Uber in Boston, MA and looked up at the building in front of me. Sitting in the second floor window were two capuchin monkeys curiously watching me. 
I came all the way from Dallas to take a tour of Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers and I could not wait.

Established in 1979, Helping Hands is a non-profit that raises and trains capuchin monkeys as service animals to provide daily in-home assistance to people living with spinal cord injury or other mobility impairments. Helping Hands supports each service monkey and his or her human partner during their many years together through interactive mentoring of the placement, and close supervision of the monkey's behavioral, nutritional and veterinary needs. The average cost to raise, train, place, and support a service monkey is $40,000.

The monkey playroom, where I had seen the monkeys from the street, is like a breakroom for training monkeys. They can sit in the open window on nice days (and it was a beautiful one) and enjoy the fresh air. There I met Samson and his trainer. This room is where monkeys can play with each other and just generally take a break from their training duties.

We saw rooms with toys, which are used to begin training monkeys with positive reinforcement, a room filled with pvc pipes for swinging and climbing and a replica apartment/home room. It had a bed, computer, small kitchen, etc. Here the monkeys learn to do what they are asked as well as NOT do things they are not asked to do. Monkeys are naturally bright and curious so teaching them not to touch things, like computer keyboards, is important.
Finally, we saw one of their resident monkeys taking a bath. As monkeys age, they return to Helping Hands to live out their retirement years. The average placement usually lasts 7-10 years but some monkeys stay much longer - such as Kristi, who was with her person, Becky, for 26 years. It is possible for a monkey to be placed with more than one recipient over their lifetime.

These monkey helpers provide warmth, companionship and assistance to those in need. What a blessing for each recipient.

A recipient testimonial:
"Cell phone drops? Cell phone back on my lap. Bottled water drops? Water back on my lap. House lights turned on? Check. Trash in waste can? Check. My ability to live life as a disabled person? Priceless. With the help of Minnie my independence and laughter has been restored."
                                                                                    ~Craig and Minnie
 
For more information or to apply for a monkey helper, go to
www.monkeyhelpers.org
 
Caption for the photos:
"My little Sig Muffin means the world to me. She gives me purpose, and I cherish each and every day we spend together. Thanks to the guidance and unwavering support from the Helping Hands staff, our bond has blossoming into everything I imagined it could be!"
                                                                          
~ Travis and Siggy
 
"Melanie always just sees me, never the wheelchair."
                                                                                 ~Scott and Melanie





All photos are owned by Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers. Trillium Studios is to thank for the lovely picture of the monkey helping his friend! 
2019 Statistics - Half Way Through the Year

82 clients helped Year to Date

Youngest client - 1 year old Abby (born with spina bifida)
Oldest client - 78 year old Willie (C7 spinal cord injury from a fall)

Counties with greatest number of clients: Harris, Dallas & Tarrant

Causes of Disabilities: 
#1 Cause of paralysis - motor vehicle accident 44% (includes motorcycles)
#2 Cause of paralysis - Birth defects 30%
Other causes of paralysis this year:
Domestic violence (2), gunshot wounds (5), carjacking (1), polio (1)



Client Testimonies 

"I cannot thank you enough for helping my patient get this piece of equipment. It truly makes a difference in her shoulder preservation and independence with mobility. Thank you thank you!!"
~Occupational Therapist II
Spinal Cord Injury and Neuromuscular Program~

"Thank you seems so inadequate for what I feel! The standing frame is magnificent and far exceeded my hopes and dreams. I can actually get into it by myself and I never thought that would be possible. 
Many, many thanks to the foundation for making this possible"
~Verna~

"My thanks to the Neuro Assistance Foundation for your generous contribution of a scooter and wheelchair for our patient.
I am so proud and grateful that the founders of First Baptist Medical Center and the contributions of your wonderful foundation have made it possible for this young woman from so far away to come to Dallas and receive the life-saving care and support she so desperately needed."
~Harold Gaskill III, MD, MBA, FACS~
Chief Executive Officer
THANK YOU To All of Our Cinco de Mayo Sponsors! 

We could not serve our clients without your unwavering support. Thank you for all of your support! 














We Need Your Help

Donate ~ Sponsor ~ Volunteer

Your $25 donation will help provide clean catheters to a paralyzed child for one month when their insurance won't cover the expense.

Your $100 donation will help build a wheelchair ramp so we can get our clients out of rehab and through their front door at home.

Your $200 donation will help widen the doorways in their homes so their wheelchair can fit through the bathroom door. Insurance doesn't covers home modifications.

Your $500 donation will help provide life-changing medical equipment: wheelchairs and specialized shower chairs, etc. Most insurance only covers a small part of wheelchairs, if any, and no "bathing aids" are covered. 

No donation is too small. Click here for more information. 
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