Meeting the Financial Challenge of Recovery from Spinal Cord Injuries
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2023 Annual Meeting and Socrates Award Presentation
The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation’s 2023 Board and Advisory Board meeting was held Sunday, March 19th at Michigan Shores Club in Wilmette, IL. This event included the presentation of the 2022 Socrates Awards. Click below to watch WGN-TV coverage of the event as well as a full recording of the meeting and presentation.
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Save the Date! 2023 Annual Meeting and Socrates Award Presentation
Entering the fourth year of the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation, I want to thank all individual and institutional donors for your continued support of our mission through the “Double Down on Disabilities Fund.” The Foundation uses your donations of cash and in-kind services to help individuals and their families burdened with the physical, emotional and financial stress of a spinal cord injury causing a permanent disability. Currently, 100% of your donations go toward this mission.
The Foundation alleviates these costs through our Socrates Award program — which offers lifetime grants to paralyzed individuals who best embody the mantra of the Socrates Creed, derived from the Latin phrase, “mens sana in corpore sano” which translates to a “healthy mind in a healthy body.”
Each year, individuals are nominated and selected to receive this lifetime award based on their efforts pursuing the daily grind of physical rehabilitation and recovery. The Double Down on Disabilities Fund, provides monies to awardees to be used solely for the following four things: equipment, prescription drugs, in-home care, and therapy. Financial amounts provided each year are determined annually by the Board.
On March 19th, our 2022 Socrates Award recipients will be honored at the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation Annual Board meeting at The Michigan Shores Club in Wilmette, Illinois from 4-6pm.
Dr. Richard Fessler, a Neurosurgery Specialist at RUSH University Medical Center, will be our keynote speaker. He will be speaking on the topic of stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury. Afterwards, the Socrates winners will be presented. The following are our 2022 awardees:
1) Cooper Roberts – Eight-year-old Highland Park resident who was hit and paralyzed from the waist down by a bullet in the mass shooting on July 4, 2022.
2) Daniel Golden – US Army veteran and Chicago Police Officer who was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down while breaking up a fight in July 2022.
3) Christopher Medak – Creative Writer and Producer living in Los Angeles, who was paralyzed in a surfing accident in August 2017.
Annually, both new and past Socrates Award recipients are recognized for their daily pursuit of a “healthy mind in a healthy body” in the face of true adversity. Please join us to celebrate these incredible individuals whose inner discipline and mental toughness is an inspiration for us all.
If you know somebody whom you believe would be an excellent recipient of this award and the ideals it represents, please visit brennanrehabfoundation.org where nominations for the 2023 Socrates Awards are now open.
The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation is a 501-C3 charitable foundation located in Lake Forest, Illinois.
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2022 Casino Night Thank you!
On Saturday, November 5th, the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation held a successful Casino Night raising money for the Double Down on Disabilities Fund.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the event!
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You’re Invited to 2022 Casino Night!
Annual Double Down on Disabilities Casino Night Fundraiser Details Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Christopher Brennan
Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation
847-372-7429
cjb1133@gmail.com
The 2022 Double Down on Disabilities Casino Night Fundraiser will be held from 7-10pm on Saturday, November 5th, 2022. The event will take place at Sunset Ridge Country Club, located at 2100 Sunset Ridge Road in Northfield, IL (847-446-5222).
Join us for a night of games, prizes, drawings and golf skills for a shot at $20,000 or a one-time shot at winning a surprise car valued close to $250,000. Mark your calendars and invite your friends!
HOST: The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation
EVENT: 2022 Double Down on Disabilities Casino Night Fundraiser
DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 5th from 7-10PM
LOCATION: Sunset Ridge Country Club, 2100 Sunset Ridge Road, Northfield, IL (847-446-5222)
DRESS: Cocktail attire
PRE-REGISTRATION: $40 per person. Donate $40 per individual attending by using the donation form on brennanrehabfoundation.org. Pre-registration attendees will receive a free drink ticket in addition to the $10 pre-registration savings.
REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR: $50 per person
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS: Wintrust Financial, Rush Medical Center, Old National Bank, First Insurance Funding, McGuireWoods, LLP, Hill and Stone Insurance and Grainger Foundation
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSOR:
About
The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation is a 501c3 charitable foundation located in Lake Forest, Illinois (501-C3 EIN: 84-3922164). The Foundation is committed to helping individuals, who have suffered cervical spinal injuries causing physical and cognitive disabilities, and their families and communities, by providing financial resources to help ensure a continuum of rehabilitation resources and provide opportunities for individuals to ultimately reach optimal health and independence. Please visit www.brennanrehabfoundation.org to learn more about donation opportunities and future fundraising events.
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News
2022 Socrates Award Grants Announced
Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation Awards Lifetime Grants to Three Spinal Cord Injury Survivors
The Socrates Award recognizes individuals who face disability with perseverance and fortitude
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Christopher Brennan
Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation
847-372-7429
cjb1133@gmail.com
CHICAGO – August 25, 2022 – Every year in the U.S., an estimated 17,000 people survive a spinal cord injury. While treatment and follow-up care vary according to the severity of the injury, medical expenses can easily exceed $500,000 in the first year alone.
These staggering costs inspired the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation to create the Socrates Award, a grant bestowed annually since 2018 to individuals with paralysis caused by illness or injury. This lifetime cash grant provides spinal cord injury survivors with yearly infusions of economic resources to aid in their ongoing care, from therapy and equipment to prescriptions and in-home care.
This year, the Socrates Award recognizes three recipients for their efforts to achieve personal success while pursuing the daily grind of physical rehabilitation and recovery. These individuals will each receive a cash grant annually, beginning this year.
- Cooper Roberts (Highland Park, Illinois): Before the Fourth of July, 8-year-old Cooper Roberts was a typical child—running around, biking and playing with friends. He enjoyed playing sports, including soccer, baseball and football. Cooper’s life took an unexpected and difficult turn when he was shot in the Highland Park mass shooting attack on July 4, 2022. Cooper’s strength and courage in facing his resulting paralysis, and through numerous surgeries towards recovery, has been astonishing and inspirational.
- Daniel Golden (Chicago, Illinois): Police officer Daniel Golden was shot in the back while reportedly breaking up a fight in July 2022. Golden, a U.S. Army veteran, is now paralyzed from the waist down. He has already demonstrated his inner discipline and mental toughness in his rapid rehabilitation progress.
- Christopher Medak (Los Angeles, California): Chris, a creative writer and assistant producer, was paralyzed in August 2017 while body-surfing off the coast of Los Angeles. While he was in the ocean, a rogue riptide put Chris in the way of a seven-foot wave, which picked him up and slammed him back down into just one foot of water. The blow shattered his C5 cervical vertebrae, resulting in quadriplegia. Helping others in similar circumstances has been a critical aspect of Chris’ physical recovery. In addition, he overcame drug and alcohol addiction and recently celebrated 35 years of service and commitment to his community.
The Socrates Award honors the Socratic creed’s ideal of mens sana in corpore sano: “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” Christopher Brennan, chairman of the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation, created the Socrates Award during his tenure in sports media. In 2000, Brennan worked with his late father, Terry Brennan, former head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, to set up this award, which originally recognized collegiate athletes who achieved a combination of athletic and academic success.
Following Brennan’s spinal cord injury that resulted in tetraplegia—partial-to-total loss of all four limbs and torso—the award shifted to its current form.
“After experiencing a spinal cord injury, the Socrates creed took on a profound meaning for me,” says Brennan. “I am honored to award these individuals who recognize that life, like sports, is full of incredible highs and frustrating lows—and that the daily pursuit of ‘a healthy mind’ and ‘a healthy body’ in the face of adversity is a true testament of one’s character.”
In 2021, the Socrates Award recipients each received a $1,000 grant. Each year since 2018, the foundation board has increased this amount, and anticipates that dollar amount will continue to grow in tandem with the organization’s fundraising efforts and events. The award honorees, as well as past awardees, will be recognized at the Annual Board and Advisory Board meeting on March 12, 2023, in Chicago.
About
The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation is a 501c3 charitable foundation located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The Foundation is committed to helping individuals, who have suffered cervical spinal injuries causing physical and cognitive disabilities, and their families and communities, by providing financial resources to help ensure a continuum of rehabilitation resources and provide opportunities for individuals to ultimately reach optimal health and independence. Please visit www.brennanrehabfoundation.org to learn more about donation opportunities and future fundraising events.
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News
2022 Wild Miles Wheelchair Race
Annual Wild Miles Wheelchair Race (5k), Fun Run (5k) and Costume Contest Details Announced; Sponsorship Opportunities Available
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Christopher Brennan
Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation
847-372-7429
cjb1133@gmail.com
Click here to Download Event Information Sheet
The 2022 Wild Miles Wheelchair Race and Fun Run will be held in association with the Lake Forest Department of Parks and Recreation on Saturday, June 18th, 2022! The event will take place near the near Lake Forest Recreation Center at Deer Path Community Park at 400 Hastings Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045. Get ready to roll, run, and dress for fun and prizes to benefit the Double Down Fund and the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation. Mark your calendars!
RACE/COSTUME EVENT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
BRONZE – $100 (help make event possible!)
SILVER – $250 (costume event sponsor!)
GOLD – $500 (largest logo on race T-shirt!)
PLATINUM – $1000 (race signage and T-shirt exposure, plus placement as a corporate sponsor on website)
Date: Saturday, June 18th
Location: Deer Path Community Park near the Lake Forest Recreation Center at 400 Hastings Rd, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Registration: 8AM
Fun Run: 9AM
Wheelchair Race: 10AM
Costume Contest: ~11AM
Entry: Adults $35.00, Students $20, Children < 12 are free!
Lunch & LIVE Music: ~11:30AM
Award Ceremony: During/After lunch
Winners of the wheelchair race, fun run and best costume wheelchair event will receive cash prizes of $500 each!
Proceeds of this event go to the Double Down on Disabilities fund which provides monetary grants to individuals who have suffered a high cervical injury causing tetraplegia. Grants are used for medical equipment, prescriptions, therapy and in-home services.
About
The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation The Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation is a 501c3 charitable foundation located in Lake Forest, Illinois (501-C3 EIN: 84-3922164). The Foundation is committed to helping individuals, who have suffered cervical spinal injuries causing physical and cognitive disabilities, and their families and communities, by providing financial resources to help ensure a continuum of rehabilitation resources and provide opportunities for individuals to ultimately reach optimal health and independence. Please visit www.brennanrehabfoundation.org to learn more about donation opportunities and future fundraising events.
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