Stars Shined at the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame Gala
By National Spinal Cord Injury Association
Published Nov. 26, 2007 in NSCIA.org
The National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) honored fifteen of the most accomplished and extraordinary members of the spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) community at the third annual SCI Hall of Fame™ induction ceremony and gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on November 6. Award winning journalist Leon Harris, former CNN co-anchor, current newscaster for ABC7/WJLA-TV and co-host of Capital Sunday served as Master of Ceremonies .
Launched by the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) in 2005, the SCI Hall of Fame was created to recognize excellence and honor individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to quality of life and advancements toward a better future for all individuals with spinal cord injury or disease. Participation in this year's process was strong, with more than 160 nominees nationwide.
This year's inductees and their categories include:
- Dean Kamen, inventor of the iBot Mobility System for Johnson and Johnson's Independence Technology division and founder of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (Assistive Technology),
- Dana Reeve (1961-2006), founding board member of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Craig H. Neilsen (1942-2006), former chairman and CEO of Ameristar Casinos and founder of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation (Benefactor),
- Ron Cohen, president, CEO, founder and director of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (Corporate Executive),
- Mark Johnson, Advocacy Director for the Shepherd Center and early member of ADAPT (Disability Activist),
- Gary Karp, author, journalist, editor, speaker and trainer (Disability Educator),
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Emmy award winning ABC-TV program helping families with home accessibility (Entertainment),
- Dan Wilkins, founder of the Nth Degree (Entrepreneur),
- Michael Collins, Executive Director of the National Council on Disability and former Executive Director of the CA Statewide Independent Living Council (Government Executive),
- Chris Canales, co-founder of Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Organization (Grassroots Organizer),
- Kelly Buckland, executive director of the Idaho State Independent Living Council and president of the National Council on Independent Living (Legislative),
- Montel Williams, Emmy award winning talk show host and founder of the Montel Williams MS Foundation (Media),
- Kim Anderson, researcher in neurological surgery at Reeve-Irvine Research Center (Research in Basic Science),
- Susan Harkema, rehabilitation director of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center and the director of research at Frazier Rehabilitation Institute (Research in Quality of Life) and
- Renee Tyree, Paralympic gold, silver and bronze medalist (Sports).
NSCIA also awarded the first ever Harley L. Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award to Harley Thomas, NSCIA's immediate past president and long-time disability activist. Thomas passed away unexpectedly in September. The award was accepted by Thomas' wife Nancy Starnes in his honor. In the future, NSCIA will award this honor as appropriate candidates are identified, using Thomas' life of achievement as a high standard.
The ceremony was hosted by NSCIA and was supported by a wide range of sponsors including the Medtronic Foundation, Select Equity Foundation, Acorda Therapeutics, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the United Spinal Association, Motorola, Microsoft Corporation, Abilities Expo, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Pfizer, Shepherd Center, Johnson & Johnson/Independence Technologies, New Mobility, Ability Magazine and HDI Publishers.
Through an online voting process, members of NSCIA voted for the nominees they believed were most deserving in each category.
The mission of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) is to enable people with spinal cord injury and disease (SCI/D) to achieve their highest level of independence, health, and quality of life.
NSCIA advocates for best practices and public policies that proactively affect people with SCI/D, their families and service providers. The Association conducts public policy initiatives through its local chapters and at the national level and actively collaborates with other national organizations on issues of mutual concern.
For more information, visit www.spinalcord.org or call (800) 962-9629.