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When Shelly Kerchner started kayaking at a Pennsylvania lake, she was "free of metal, free to go where she wants, free of the need for assistance, except when getting into and out of the boat," she writes on her Go Fund Me page.
That's why she launched Open Waters for All, a fund-raising campaign to pay for an adaptive kayak launcher at Quemahoning Lake.
Kerchner, who was told by a doctor she would never be able to use her hands again after a seizure a decade ago, has regained use of her arms and hands, taught herself to stand and even walk a few steps, and discovered the joy of kayaking at Quemahoning Lake.
But a year ago, she underwent rotator cuff surgery and was told to avoid being lifted into or out of a kayak to protect her shoulders.
Not one to sit in her wheelchair on the shore, Kerchner launched Open Waters for All, a fund-raising campaign to pay for the acquisition and installation of an adaptive kayak launcher at Quemahoning Lake.
With carefully designed step-seats, strategically placed grab bars, and rollers, these launchers enable people with limited use of their legs to enter and exit kayaks by themselves.
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
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Foundation: Marguerite Casey Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Kresge Foundation
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Foundation: Indianapolis Foundation
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Foundation: Gates Foundation
Melinda French Gates is stepping down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which she founded with her ex-husband Bill Gates more than 20 years ago. As part of an agreement made...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver Backs Social Saturday
UK will be celebrating its first national celebration of social enterprises dubbed as Social Saturday. World famous celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who founded the Fifteen restaurant chain.
