Lou Gehrig's Disease: Help Find a Cure

HELP FIND A CURE FOR Lou Gehrig’s Disease UMASS ALS CHAMPION FUND

VMi New England mourns the passing of former Massachusetts Governor A. Paul Cellucci, a devoted public servant who dedicated the final chapter of his life to raising funds to support the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s research into a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Please give anything you can to help continue this important research.

In recognition of the critical need for new treatments for ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the UMass ALS Champion Fund is a movement to drive awareness and funding for the ALS breakthroughs happening at UMass Medical School (UMMS) and in the laboratory of Robert H. Brown, Jr., DPhil, MD one of the world’s leading and most promising ALS researchers.

The Champion Fund aims to help Dr. Brown and his colleagues pursue ALS research leads and breakthroughs right now that might otherwise take years to attract funding from traditional sources. As a result, this Fund will make researchers at UMMS better prepared to “seize the moment” when highly promising ALS discoveries are made.

Dr. Brown is widely recognized as a pioneer in neurodegenerative disease research and for 30 years has dedicated his career to unlocking the secrets of ALS, a degenerative disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness, leading to paralysis and eventually death. There is currently no treatment to stop or reverse ALS. Brown has been a leading visionary for ALS treatment and part of nearly every fundamental ALS breakthrough to-date, including the identification of mutations in a gene that is responsible for the rare, familial form of the disease. Brown’s work has opened a window into ALS that has drastically changed the research landscape and provided patients and loved ones touched by ALS with something very rare: hope.

The Champion Fund aims to extend and supplement the already great fundraising initiatives benefiting UMMS. Dr. Brown and team has been fortunate to receive support from a diversity of groups, including the Massachusetts-based Angel Fund and national partner CVS Pharmacy, both of which have been raising money for UMMS and acting as champions in the fight against ALS for more than 10 years. The Champion Fund will complement and extend those funding sources to augment the overall effort..

Now is the time. There is hope. But, victories are a team effort. Join us – become a champion and help fight back against ALS.

View the list of the campaign’s Honorary Co-chairs.

Veterans Inc. 8th Annual Stand Down

Veterans Inc. has been serving Veterans and their families across America for 20 years, with an award-winning model that affirms dignity and re-establishes independence.

Their mission is to provide safe housing, hot meals, and a variety of services that address the causes of homelessness. We help veterans re-gain control of their lives and, ultimately, we save lives.

Service Provider Registration

More than 40 providers to participate: representing non-profits, for-profits, and government agencies offering veterans’ services, health & human services, and much more. Veterans at the event will be able to obtain FREE food, clothing, personal care items, haircuts, massages, acupuncture, counseling, legal services; and services and  advice related to employment & training, housing, healthcare, and a career fair  on Friday. Veterans should bring a DD-214 or VA card as proof of veteran status.

D-Day

D-Day Invasion at Normandy – June 6, 1944

Invasion at Normandy – June 6, 1944

Invasion Date

June 6, 1944 – The D in D-Day stands for “day” since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent.

Allied Forces

156,000 Allied troops  from The United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, Free France and Norway

Areas of Invasion

The Allied code names for the beaches along the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties.

The Armada

5,000 ships and landing craft

50,000 vehicles

11,000 planes

Commanders

United States – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley

The United Kingdom – Bernard Law Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Arthur Tedder, Miles Dempsey, Bertram Ramsay

Germany – Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Friedrich Dollmann

Casualties

Numbers represent total killed, wounded, missing or captured

United States – 6,603 (1,465 killed)

United Kingdom – 2,700

Canada – 1,074 (359 fatal)

Germany – Estimated between 4,000 – 9,000

The Outcome

By June 11, with the beachheads firmly secured, more than 326,000 troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment. Paris was liberated on August 25. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.

Veterans Today

The number of remaining D-Day vets is estimated anywhere between 8,000 and 60,000. The Veterans Administration has detailed numbers on total WWII vets remaining available at www.nationalww2museum.org/the-greatest-generation

The National World War II Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today.  Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National World War II Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-527-6012 or visit www.nationalww2museum.org. Follow us on Twitter atWWIImuseum or visit our Facebook fan page.

      

Veterans With Disabilities

Veterans with Disabilities – What Vmi New England Can Do For You

There are currently more than 25 million veterans in the United States.  If you or a family member is a disabled veteran, there are some exciting new transportation options available to you. Vmi New England, a leader in the wheelchair accessible vehicle market, is proud to offer veterans accessible vehicles with eligible benefits.  Veterans or their family members may be eligible for some important Veteran’s Administration benefits regarding adaptive vehicles.

The VA offers veterans a one-time vehicle grant of $18,900 (as of October 1, 2011).  This is available for 100% service-connected veterans, and can be applied one time towards a modified wheelchair van.  In addition, 100% service-connected veterans are also eligible for one handicap vehicle conversion every two years or two conversions every four years. VMi New England and Automotive Innovations offers many wheelchair accessible vehicles to choose from when using your VA benefits.

There are some advantages to using these Veteran’s Administration benefits.  Those who trade in their vehicles every two years usually have fewer out-of-pocket expenses getting a new accessible vehicle than those who trade later on.  It is important to know that the VA uses a depreciation schedule for pre-owned wheelchair vans when considering reimbursement.

The VA program for handicap accessible vehicles could allow you to purchase a two year old Dodge Grand Caravan with less than 24,000 miles, a new VMI conversion package with a vehicle trade-in, for absolutely no additional payments required.  This is just one example of how the program can work for you.

In addition to these VA benefits, veterans are also often eligible for reimbursement for OEM equipment included in the vehicle.  Some of these options include air conditioning, power windows, and power locks.  These options could total as much as $3,000, as a driver set-up or $780 as a passenger set-up.

The Service for those who Served Program was established by Jim Sanders to offer free operational maintenance services on adaptive equipment for veterans. How the Service for those who Served Program works is every six months, any disabled Veteran who has received automotive adaptive equipment funded by the Veteran’s Administration may bring their handicap van to Automotive Innovations Bridgewater, MA location for a free accessibility and maintenance check.

To learn more about Veteran benefits and to see which wheelchair accessible vehicle works best for you, please contact us.

508-697-6006

info@VMiNewEngland.com