FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
May 10, 2010 

CONTACT: Mark Daley (202) 416-7681

Paralyzed Veterans of America
2009 Annual Report
Empowering Lives 

WASHINGTON, DC — Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) is pleased to announce the release of its 2009 Annual Report, Empowering Lives.

A departure from more traditional annual reports, the 2009 edition is packed with valuable information and inspirational stories of the veterans with disabilities served by Paralyzed Veterans  — and how the organization helps to empower them.  It also provides information on Paralyzed Veterans’ mission, goals, new initiatives and finances.

“In this annual report, you’ll meet some of the men and women whose lives are more empowered through your support of our goals. I hope you will be as moved by these stories as I am, and as proud of the work that Paralyzed Veterans of America has been doing for over six decades,” said Gene A. Crayton, National President of Paralyzed Veterans of America.
 
In addition to being available as a downloadable PDF and in traditional print format, the 2009 report is also available in a new, interactive online format.

The report profiles remarkable stories and how Paralyzed Veterans’ life-changing programs empower these true American heroes to live more productive and independent lives. Their stories are real, and are powerful testaments to the determination and resolve of the American spirit.

Other 2009 achievements highlighted include Paralyzed Veterans’ leadership in advocating for the enactment of advance appropriations legislation for veterans health care.  The new legislation enables the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to know, in advance, the funding levels it will receive.  This ensures that the VA will be able to deliver high-quality health care in a timely manner.

Also featured is Paralyzed Veterans’ role in the creation of, and partnership with, the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, whose motto is Many Minds, One Vision. Launched in September 2009, this new, interdisciplinary force brings together public and private health care professionals dedicated to advancing the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury.

A PDF copy of the report can be downloaded.

Printed copies of the report can be obtained by writing to:

Paralyzed Veterans of America
801 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Attn: Office Services

ENDS

Note to editors

Sixty-four years ago, Paralyzed Veterans of America was founded by a band of spinal cord injured service members who returned home from World War II to a grateful nation, but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. These veterans from the “Greatest Generation” made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. They created an organization, dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities. And for more than six decades, Paralyzed Veterans of America and its 34 chapters have been working to create an America where all veterans, and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to thrive. www.pva.org