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September 13, 2006
The Florida Legislature has passed a bill naming November 13 - 19 as Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness week.
Here's information on how the Darrell Gwynn Foundation is using this important week to launch a number of vital educational initiatives about spinal cord injuries.
Hope you can use this. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything more. (I've attached it and pasted it below in case you aren't comfortable opening attachments.) If you'd like to speak directly to Darrell Gwynn, I'd be happy to set you up.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Caren Berg
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DARRELL GWYNN FOUNDATION DEDICATES
FLORIDA SPINAL CORD INJURY AWARENESS WEEK TO EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY
November 13 – 19 –First-ever week aimed at paralysis prevention, promoting safety, knowledge and understanding to reduce injuries and accidents
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: The Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing paralysis when possible, providing support for individual’s living with paralysis and ultimately finding a cure for paralysis – is capitalizing on the first Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week as a focal point for educating the Florida community to the dangers of accidents that can lead to paralysis. The Foundation will spend the week of November 13-19, 2006 in Florida classrooms, on the airwaves, and at events across the state educating the public on preventing spinal cord injuries. DGF says its ultimate goal for the week is to reduce the number of spinal cord injuries in the state of Florida.
Darrell Gwynn, president and founder of DGF, noted that this is the first-ever week of its kind anywhere in the United States for paralysis prevention. “The Florida lifestyle is very active, with swimming a year-long pursuit, plus scores of outdoor activities,” he said. “Participation sports, as well as boating and driving, can lead to dangerous accidents that can often be avoided with a little bit of knowledge. For example, did you know that you should not allow your child to wear a backpack while belted into a car because even the slightest car accident could cause a neck injury?” Darrell Gwynn, a former professional racecar driver, is himself a quadriplegic, suffering a devastating spinal cord injury in a crash in 1990.
Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week was made possible by Florida legislators Sen. Nan Rich (D) and Rep. Rene Garcia (R).
Consistent communication is the key to prevention and to this end, Darrell Gwynn, Marc Buoniconti and other disabled individuals will visit selected Florida high schools and talk to students about what it’s like to be paralyzed and ways – some very simple – to prevent spinal cord injuries. In some cases, key Florida legislators will accompany individuals during the schools visits. In addition, the Florida Department of Health is sponsoring a series of Public Service Announcements featuring celebrities such as NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Tony Stewart to air during Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week on major television stations.
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is partnering with The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis to create spinal cord injury prevention tips and information brochures. These vital and informative brochures will be distributed at targeted high schools in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Orange, and Duval counties. DGF is also partnering with MAC Tool Trucks in Florida to distribute information tip sheets at customer locations. In addition, partners Homestead- Miami Speedway and Moroso Motorsports Park are making prevention tip sheets available at their locations. Some information will also be hosted online at www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org, including a schedule of events or call 954-792-7223 ext. 105
The week-long series of events and educational outreach will culminate the weekend of November 18th and 19th with DGF’s 5th Annual Miccosukee Resort & Gaming’s Hot Rods & Reels NASCAR Drivers Charity Fishing Tournament at Homestead-Miami Speedway’s infield lake, plus a charity walk around the Homestead-Miami Speedway track, put on by the NASCAR Foundation.
“Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week is a terrific way of giving the public essential information toward reducing crippling injuries,” added Gwynn. “We are doing our best to make this week interesting and fun, but most importantly to make an impact – on the statistics and on people’s lives.” Florida Spinal Cord Injury Week is generously sponsored by Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Florida Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the Florida Department of Health, the NASCAR Foundation, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, MAC Tools/Florida and Moroso Motorsports Park.
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The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses. To expedite specific cures, the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research.
Caren Berg
Vice President
Boardroom Communications
1776 N. Pine Island Rd.
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Plantation, FL 33322
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(954) 370-8892(fax)
cberg@boardroompr.com
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Posted by Caren Berg
Posted by mjohnson at 02:30 PM
September 02, 2006
New Book Release Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening by Stephen Kuusisto
Visit www.stephenkuusisto.com for information and reviews
"As readers familiar with the lucid candor of his earlier Planet of the Blind would expect, Mr. Kuusisto's new memoir, Eavesdropping, about living with blindness,is about vision, ways of seeing with other senses, principally hearing. The writer is a poet, and it is not surprising that his words clearly have been heard by him before we hear them." - W.S. Merwin, author of Present Company: Poems
For daily thoughts by Steve, visit his blog at www.planet-of-the-blind.com
Posted by Connie Kuusisto
Posted by mjohnson at 11:18 AM