Courage Center Marks 75 Years of Serving People with Physical Disabilities.

News/Business/Health & Medical/Education Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2003

Organization founded April 10, 1928; each year

17,000 people with disabilities use services

Courage Center, a nationally known rehabilitation and resource center that offers comprehensive, lifelong services to people of all ages with physical disabilities, marks its 75th anniversary on April 10.

Founded as the Minnesota Association for Crippled Children in 1928, the organization was reincorporated in 1978 as Courage Center. From its inception, the private, nonprofit organization has been dedicated to meeting the changing needs of children and adults with disabilities.

"Acquiring a disability is a life-changing event," said Eric Stevens, Courage CEO. "An accident or an illness can dramatically and irreversibly change the path our life is taking and leave us with a severe loss of function. This can happen to anyone at any time.

"For 75 years, Courage has touched and transformed hundreds of thousands of lives in Minnesota. People know that Courage is a trusted resource that will help people regain their health and their independence so that they can live more productive and fulfilled lives."

Courage provides its programs and services through four owned facilities - Courage Center, Courage St. Croix, Camp Courage and Courage North - as well as through many locations around the Twin Cities metro area, at Courage Duluth and at regional day camps. The organization provides a full range of services that includes physical rehabilitation, mental health programming, vocational services, camping, recreation and community-based programs.

Every year 17,000 people with physical disabilities use the organization's services, with consumers from each of Minnesota's 87 counties. In addition, Courage Residence, a comprehensive transitional rehabilitation facility located in Golden Valley, annually serves approximately 100 people with severe disabilities whose average age is 31. Half of these people have spinal cord injuries and the other half have brain injuries or congenital disabilities.

"Our mission is to empower people with physical disabilities to reach for their full potential in every aspect of life," said Stevens. "We've proven that people with severe disabilities can regain their lives and their livelihoods. In many cases, we provide services for people who have nowhere else to turn."

Over the years, Courage has been a pioneer in providing services and advocacy in the disability field. The organization developed the first camp for children with disabilities in the 1930s, led the nation in identifying architectural barriers in public buildings in the 1950s and 60s, created the Courage Center residential rehabilitation facility in the 1970s, and helped found a new health care delivery model for people with disabilities called AXIS Healthcare in the 1990s. Courage has also been an innovative leader and partners with other organizations - such as Habitat for Humanity to build accessible housing - to meet individual needs.

"Through education and advocacy, Courage works hard to make the world a better place for people with disabilities," said Stevens. "We help remove barriers and increase access to affordable and accessible housing, employment, transportation and health care."

Courage offers services to people of all ages, from infants to seniors, including physical rehabilitation, community living skills, vocational training, camping and recreation programs, and mental health and family support services. The organization was recently cited by Twin Cities Business Monthly as the second most respected nonprofit in the State of Minnesota, after the Mayo Foundation.

As a nonprofit organization, Courage obtains nearly 40 percent of its $30 million annual operating budget from community giving. Two well-known fundraising efforts include "Cars for Courage" where people donate used cars to support Courage's mission, and "Courage Cards and Gifts," which highlights work by artists with disabilities. In addition, each year thousands of volunteers donate over 80,000 hours of service.

Courage Center, a United Way agency, is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minn. For more information, visit the web site at www.courage.org.