2012 Annual Report
Kevin Greene had just left work on his 22nd birthday and was exhausted. While he would've preferred to stay home and sleep, his friends convinced him to go out and celebrate. That night, his life changed forever. On the drive home, he was in a devastating accident where he was ejected from the car and thrown 100 feet. Kevin broke his spine and sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Lacking all sensation and movement below the waist, the once active young man had to adapt to life in a wheelchair. Thanks to Kessler Foundation’s funding of disability employment initiatives and rehabilitation research, Kevin is regaining his independence.
Bridging the Gap to Employment -
Personal Stories
Sergeant John Irwin
Like many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, Sergeant John Irwin faced challenges upon returning to civilian life. His transition was complicated by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), disabling conditions that affect one third of recent veterans. He received help from Project Connect, a veterans employment program. Kessler Foundation's grant funding for this program targets veterans with disabilities
Chris Miller, born with cerebral palsy, has severe spasticity, impaired speech and needs a power wheelchair to get around. However, at age 27, he already proved that he is able to work on changing policies for a country and the mindset of a foreign nation.
Raymond Martin has participated in wheelchair sports since he was 5 years old and always had one goal in mind—to reach the Paralympics. Now 19, he spent most of 2011 and 2012 training extremely hard in order to qualify for the games. Despite the demands of senior year and preparing to move to Illinois for college, he kept a strict 6-day per week training schedule. His hard work paid off; as a result of his incredible performance in the Paralympics, Ray was named Paralympic SportsMan of the year.
