Beneficiaries

Each event, The 33 Foundation selects either a worthy individual or a game changing organization to help. The qualifications are simple: as an individual they must be a fighter, determined to work through challenges to build the best possible life after spinal cord injury. For organizations they must be focused on supporting the individual on their journey to build a fulfilling and active life. Explore the gallery below to learn more about the worthy organizations and individuals that have received support.

Debbie Ward

Learn more about our 2023 Beneficiary - hear her story and appreciation to the 33 Foundation Community!

Jake Thibeault

Our 2022 Beneficiary - always hard at work, making great strides and refusing to quit!

Damien Dalton

Getting the news he was this years beneficiary!

Joe'l Gonzalez

Joe’l Gonzalez

Meet Joe’l - beneficiary of the 8th Annual Curran Family Open!

TJ Scanlon

In short, TJ is a true warrior. After a fall in March of 2016, TJ was left paralyzed from his chest down and was not found until two days after his fall. With the extreme weather conditions over those two days, TJ also suffered severe frostbite and had his left leg amputated.

Visit our Facebook page to hear from TJ himself on his remarkable story!

Lindsey Runkel

Hear from Lindsey herself - speaking at the 6th Annual Curran Family Open - about her injury and her passion for recovery.

Cory Cook

Cory Cook

Beneficiary of the 5th Annual Curran Family Open

Cory has always loved the outdoors, sunshine, fresh air and spending time with friends and family. That is what he was doing, celebrating a recent family wedding with others when he suffered a spinal cord injury while swimming at a local lake.

Since then Cory has strived to keep the outdoors part of his life. But, it can be a challenge both physically and logistically. Cory has worked relentlessly with Journey Forward to challenge and strengthen his muscles. Cory has also been one of the first New Englanders to try a new robotic suit, than enables him to stand, move around and even try his hand at golf.

This is the type of spirit we honor at the 33 Foundation. That is why Cory was selected as the 3rd Beneficiary of the Curran Family Open. WIth the help of the 33 Foundation Cory was able push the limits of his recovery with Journey Forward.

To learn more about Cory visit his Facebook page.

Nate Bibaud

Beneficiary of the 3rd Annual Derby Day Event

Nate was pursuing his dream…working as a graphic artist in Saint Croix. One fateful night, when Nate was a passenger in a friends car, they crested a knoll and ran head on into another accident. Nate suffered a spinal cord injury. His family, especially his mother, rallied around him as he reset and began crafting a new life.

Nate started by going back to the beginning, his first love…art. He has focused his energy on creating fantastic artwork and building his design firm. As the beneficiary of the 3rd Annual Derby Day Event, the foundation was able to donate funds towards building a specialized art studio where Nate could continue his passion to create artwork, designs and prints while continuing his journey back from a Spinal Cord Injury.

Check out Nate's speech below. And to learn more about Nate visit his Facebook page.

Eddy Pilicy

Beneficiary of 4th Annual Curran Family Open

In 2011 he was working as an arborist in Beverly, MA when he had an on-the-job accident. A branch snapped propelling Eddy into a trunk, fracturing his vertebrae, and leaving him paralyzed.

Today, Eddy lives with his wife and three children in Rowley, MA and attends Journey Forward. At $100 a visit, affording ongoing support can be a challenge. With your participation and generosity, the 33 Foundation’s was able to cover his tuition for one full year – a goal of $10,000.00! After 1 full year of treatment, Eddy surprised all of us at the 5th Annual Curran Open by walking into the ceremony on crutches!

Sheperd Center

The Sheperd Center

Beneficiary of the 1st Annual Curran Family Open

The Shepherd Center was selected as the Curran Family Open first beneficiary – providing donations to a scholarship fund to help families afford to stay to spend time with their loved ones during a challenging recovery – Matt’s father was able to stay with him for 4 straight months in recovery and attributes a lot of his recovery to the support of his father.

A top healthcare facility with a focus spinal cord injury, located in Georgia, the Shepherd Center holds a special place in Matt and his family's hearts. This was the place that Matt woke up in after his injury. It was the place that he and his family relied on for support, information and hope.

The Shepherd Center was founded by a family looking to provide one of its own the specialized care necessary for rebuilding a life after spinal cord injury. This perspective is imbued in all that the Shepherd Center does. Being in the care of the staff at Shepherd set Matt on his road to recovery. Visit the Shepherd Center website to learn more.

Journey Forward

Journey Forward

Upon coming back to Boston – Matt continues his therapy at Journey Forward. Through proceeds from the event, we were able to help initiate a scholarship fund for those who aren’t able to pay for therapy ($100/session) gain the opportunity to benefit from the therapy Journey Forward can provide.

Journey Forward is an exercise based program designed to assist those with Spinal Cord Injuries so they too can achieve some of these most basic lifelong functions and benefits. To learn more visit the Journey Forward website.

Empower SCI

Beneficiary of the 4th Annual Derby Day

Each year, Empower SCI helps individuals recovering from a spinal cord injury get out and enjoy surfing with their modified equipment. This is just one event during the 2-week residential rehabilitation program in Stony Brook, NY, which helps 12 individuals with spinal cord injuries to return to living happier, more meaningful and more independent lives.

Empower SCI focuses on challenging people to strive for independence and to push their own personal limits, which aligns nicely with the 33 Foundation's mission of healing the whole person. Getting out into the waves gets people out of their chairs, and involved in a sport that they might not have thought of as possible with their level of injuries. This partnership with the 33 Foundation and your support will help these participants expand their horizons and have a blast doing it.

To learn more visit Empower SCI's website. All you need to do is look though the pictures on the site to see the thrill participants experience.