In The News
Below are news stories or press releases related to the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities. Each story has a synopsis followed by a link to both the Word and PDF versions of the full story.
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Arizona Bridge to Independent Living Receives $500,000 Grant From the Kresge Foundation for the Completion of the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center
07.05.2011– Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL), Arizona’s largest center for independent living serving people with disabilities, is proud to announce that it has received a $500,000 grant from the Kresge Foundation, completing the organization’s $12.5 million capital campaign for the building of the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center.
The Kresge Foundation is a $3.1 billion private, national foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for future generations through its support of nonprofit organizations in six fields of interest: arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health, and human services. Working with grantees, the Foundation endeavors to improve the life circumstances and opportunities for poor, disadvantaged and marginalized individuals, families, and communities.
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BHHS Legacy Foundation Awards $75,000 Grant
for The Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center
The $75,000 grant check presented by Gerald L. Wissink, CEO and Mary T. Thomson, MSW Vice President of Program Development - PhoenixRegion, of BHHS Legacy Foundation to ABIL President, Phil Pangrazio in support of the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities.
May 23, 2011 - ABIL is proud to announce that it received a $75,000 grant from the BHHS Legacy Foundation. Formed in 2001, the BHHS Legacy Foundation was established as a charitable nonprofit organization to support improved healthcare for Arizonans through funding nonprofit organizations, programs and projects that accomplish its mission and vision.
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Amber Blanchard Announced as SPOFIT Manager
Amber Blanchard
May 18, 2011 - ABIL is pleased to announce that Amber Blanchard has joined the organization as manager at the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities.
Blanchard has designed and implemented therapeutic recreation and fitness programs for people with disabilities for the past twelve years. She joins the ABIL staff after serving as a therapeutic recreation program coordinator at The Bend Park and Recreation District in Bend, Oregon, and director/ board member at Oregon Adaptive Sports.
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
Awards $25,000 Grant
for The Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center
March 23, 2011 - The $25,000 grant is a Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award is one of 74 grants totaling almost $500,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that aid in providing more opportunities, access, and daily quality of life for individuals with a disability, their families, and caregivers. Since the program was developed in 1999 by the late Dana Reeve, more than 1,800 grants have been awarded, totaling more than $14.2 million.
Sports venue of a different sort breaks
ground in Phoenix
Phoenix Business Journal - by Adam Kress
April 20, 2010
Arizona Bridge to Independent Living, the state’s largest independent living center for people with disabilities, broke ground this morning on the Virginia G. Piper Sports & Fitness Center for Persons with Disabilities.
Officials at ABIL said the universally accessible sports and fitness center at 5025 E. Washington St. is designed to bring together people with all types of disabilities. People of all ages and levels of physical fitness and nutritional health will be welcome. It will be part of ABIL’s Disability Empowerment Center.
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