“24” Legacy Wiffleball Tournament raises over $45,000!

BW Supers from Brookline, MA beat the Buckners from Burlington, VT to win the team
championship at the Little Fenway complex in Jericho VT to conclude a wet, exciting “24”
Legacy Wiffleball Tournament. Over $45,000 was raised to benefit the Travis Roy Legacy Grant
Program which will provide grants for durable medical equipment and vehicle modifications to
spinal cord injured individuals.

There were 8 teams participating, with two affiliated with SCIboston: the Pain in the Necks and
the SCIboston team.

The Pain in the Necks (NH), coached by Josh Keller, was a crowd favorite and rebounded from
being routed in their first game 14-0 to winning their next two games in stunning fashion. Josh
must have made some adjustments and a rousing pep talk to rally his team. They entered the
playoffs the #3 seed, but ran into a hot Buckners team and were eliminated.

The SCIboston team (MA) went winless in the round robin but almost upset the #1 seed, the
Bad Larry’s (MA) in the playoffs. SCIboston was up 3-2 with two outs and two strikes in the
bottom of the last inning, but Bad Larry’s Dave Spidle smacked a two-run homer over the
Green Monster to win the game and break the hearts of the SCIboston team.

The event was delayed by an hour due to rain, but the grounds crew of Larry Riegert, Tim and
Ron Rose did a tremendous job getting Little Fenway, Little Wrigley and Field of Dreams ready
to play on. It was very slippery on the basepaths and most players were covered in mud by the
end of the day.

Joel Kynoch provided entertaining commentary as the announcer on Little Fenway and Dan
Pion helped manage the event and keep things on schedule.

BW Supers’ ageless Pete Grimes showed that good pitching is the key to win in this tournament
as they won their first title after finishing second last year.

The Pain in the Necks, SCIboston and the Bad News Bears (MA) were first time teams and
learned a lot about what it takes to win. There were 5 veteran teams including BW Supers,
Buckners, Bad Larry’s, Miami Vice (VT) and the Curse (VT). The veteran teams all played well.
The BW Supers were the leading fundraising team and Jacob Gurdin was the leading individual
fundraiser, so it was a “Triple Crown” sweep of honors for the BW Supers.

The tournament has been held since 2002 under the leadership of the Travis Roy Foundation.
Both Brenda and Lee Roy attended the event. Lee Roy, Travis’ father spoke at the Welcome
Ceremony and provided a heartfelt tribute to all those who have played in the past and
encouraged all that were in attendance to have FUN to honor Travis’ intention for the event.

SCIboston is honored to support this event and the Travis Roy Legacy Grant Program to improve
the quality of life for those with spinal cord injuries for years to come.

Thank you to all who donated, played, umped, announced and prepared the fields.

Mentor Spotlight

Rob’s injury occurred at the age of 66 after a fall from a 20-foot ladder. Rob’s tetraplegic injury level presents as paraplegic and allows him to use a manual wheelchair. Rob is an interesting guy with a zestful curiosity for life. He has a BS in computer science and is very tech-savvy. He has held jobs in the past as a pastry chef, and rough framer, has been a beekeeper, Scout Master, pilot, and more. He’s volunteered his time with Boy Scouts, kids league baseball, National Park’s Pierce Mill in DC, and now most recently as a mentor for SCIboston. Through his own journey after SCI, he has experience with independent living, getting back to work, and mindfulness. Rob is optimistic and a great conversationalist, as well as a genuine listener.

Looking to Connect with a Peer Mentor?

Are you or a family member looking to connect with one of SCIboston's trained peer mentors? Many people find it helpful, reassuring, and hopeful to talk to a mentor about adjusting to life after a spinal cord injury. Topics of conversation could include getting back to work or school after a sci, adaptive sports, relationships and intimacy, bladder and bowel management, and more. We match individuals with peer mentors based primarily on gender, injury level, age, interests, and family life, amongst other considerations. SCIboston's mentors also lead many of our virtual support groups, as well as attend them to provide support to others. If you'd like to hear more about the program or wish to connect with someone, please contact SCIboston's Peer Mentor Coordinator, Diane, at diane@sciboston.org to learn more today.

Click the HERE to watch a video from our Peer Mentors!

To learn more about our other Peer Mentors click HERE!

SCIboston's Back2RI Grant Program

Watch Stacie and Rory tell their story at our recent gala HERE.

Spinal Cord Injury Transition Program

Stacie Selfridge - TRANSITION PROGRAM LIAISON

Stacie oversees SCIboston’s SCI Transition Program, which aims to assist individuals who live in nursing homes to get back to living independently. Stacie brings twenty-plus years of knowledge and experience as an Occupational Therapist to our SCIboston community. We are pleased to announce the SCIboston Spinal Cord Injury Transition Program has had some great successes during it's first two years and we want to continue helping individuals with their independence.

Do you know someone with an SCI that is living in a nursing home? We are looking for new candidates who are motivated to move back into the community.

Please contact info@sciboston.org for more information or to recommend a candidate.

For Sale/Donated

Resources

Personal Exoskeletons for Individuals Living with
Paraplegia: Understanding the Why & How

July 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_p3NO3qbtQkaYKJogwoMPxA#/registration
Participants will understand the goals of personal exoskeletons, what makes someone a good candidate, and the process for obtaining one. Exoskeletons are not suitable for everyone, but can provide amazing health, wellness, and quality of life benefits for those suitable and trained.

Jill Butler is a physical therapist and board certified neurologic clinical specialist. She attended Simmons College for her Doctor of Physical Therapy and practiced primarily with the neurologic population in the Spaulding Rehabilitation network for several years. In 2018, she started as a Clinical Training Manager with ReWalk Robotics. She is passionate about educating clinicians and individuals about the power of personal exoskeletons to improve the lives of individuals living with spinal cord injury and for the past 3 years has worked as the Product Manager for the ReWalk Personal Exoskeleton.

Disability History Museum

The Disability History Museum hosts a VIRTUAL searchable library, education curricula, and museum exhibits. These programs are designed to foster research and study about the historical experiences of people with disabilities and their communities.

Click Here

United Spinal Association Resources and Webinars

Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Resources and Webinars

Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)

Facing Disabilities: for families facing spinal cord injuries

New Mobility Magazine

Spaulding New England Regional SCI Model System

ReUse DME Website: Refurbished Durable Medical Equipment

 Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System Informative Webinars 

AbleThrive: Curated Content Just for You

Massachusetts Office on Disability