Editor's Note: The following is a press release from Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) in Stone Mountain:

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), a non-profit organization providing over $10 milllion annually in durable medical equipment and supplies to the disabled community, today announced that it has received a $10,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.  The award was one of 69 grants totaling almost $425,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that aid in providing more opportunities, access and daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers. Created by the late Dana Reeve, the program has awarded 2,055 grants totaling over $15.6 million since 1999.  FODAC received a previous grant from The Reeve Foundation in 2005.

 “The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has made a huge impact on the disabled community,” stated Chris Brand, president of FODAC. “We are honored that FODAC has been recognized again by the foundation, and feel that this grant validates our work in Atlanta and the southeast.”

 FODAC will use the funds to support its Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Program, which supplies equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches, strollers, bath benches and walkers at little or no cost to the recipient. In 2011, the organization filled 4,500 requests for equipment and distributed 4,800 HME items to 2,400 unique clients in Atlanta and the southeast, most of whom had little or no insurance coverage.

 “The Reeve Foundation believes that each of the nearly six million Americans living with paralysis deserves access to the best programs and services available. The Quality of Life Grants Program supports other nonprofit organizations that not only believe in that same independence, but achieve great success in carrying out their programs’ missions,” said Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “We are honored to recognize these organizations which empower those affected by paralysis.”

 The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program was conceived by the late Dana Reeve to address the myriad needs of children and adults with paralysis and other mobility impairments and their families. Grants support critical life-enhancing and life-changing initiatives that improve physical and emotional health and increase independence. Funded projects offer a diversity of services and approaches: improving access; providing education and job training; sponsoring organized sporting activities; and much more. Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Award #1U59DD000838). 

About FODAC

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) helps the disabled of all ages regain their mobility, independence and quality of life. The non-profit organization provides more than $10 million annually in refurbished home medical equipment (HME) and home modifications in Georgia and across the United States, all at little or no cost to the recipients. A pioneer in re-use, FODAC keeps 200 tons of materials out of landfills each year by refurbishing and reissuing over 300 HME items every month, and is recognized nationally for best practices. 

 FODAC was started by volunteers who began refurbishing and giving away wheelchairs to disabled Atlantans and their caregivers who were in need of HME. Officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1986, the organization has grown to include a staff of 21 and an average of 35 volunteers per week, with an annual budget of over $1 million. Chris Brand serves as executive director. To date, FODAC has provided clients with over $80 million in medical equipment including over 29,000 wheelchairs. The organization is supported through grants and corporate and private donations. FODAC is headquartered at 4900 Lewis Road, Stone Mountain, Ga., 30083. For more information, visit http://www.fodac.org or call 770.491.9014.