Courage Center Receives Technology Grant

The Cummins Foundation gives a substantial grant to Courage Center.

Editor's Note: The following content was provided by Courage Center. Courage Center, the Minneapolis-based nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center announced today that the Cummins Foundation has made a substantial grant to benefit the organization’s Assistive Technology (AT) program.  Beginning in April 2012, the year-long grant will be used to elevate Courage Center’s AT program to national prominence through increasing staff expertise and competency. Currently, assistive technology is integrated into nearly every service Courage Center offers, from medical therapies to vocational services to adaptive recreation and camping. The Cummins Foundation grant will go toward increasing the number of employees who are certified AT …

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Courage Center Gains $75,000 Grant for Paralympic Programs

The money will help disabled members of the armed forces and veterans at the Golden Valley nonprofit.

  Courage Center in Golden Valley has been selected to receive $75,000 in grant funding for Paralympic programming. U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, selected the grant winners. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs funded the grants. The Operation Liberty program will use the money for "sport and physical activity programming for disabled veterans and disabled members of the armed forces," according to a news release from Sue Warner, Courage Center communications specialist. “The grant funding gives Courage Center the opportunity to give back to disabled and injured veterans, helping them discover or rediscover competitive and athletic activities,” said Ta'avasa “JR” Mamea, Paralympic sports coordinator/…

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Courage Center Honored By Department of Human Services

Golden Valley nonprofit's Primary Care Clinic has 'high satisfaction ratings from participants.'

Courage Center in Golden Valley recently was honored by Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson. Jesson presented the Circle of Excellence Award to Jan Malcolm, chief executive officer of Courage Center, on Friday in St. Paul. The award specifically acknowledged the success of the Primary Care Clinic, which is a health care home where the primary care needs of clients with physical disabilities are addressed in one location. The DHS funded the clinic, according to a news release from Katie Bauer, who works in Department of Human Services communications. The program has "received high satisfaction ratings from participants," according to the news release. “These award winners are outstanding examples of how, …

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Patch's Greatest Person

Golden Valley Pet Owner Dubs Vet ‘Miracle Man’

An assistance dog is alive and well thanks to the kind efforts of a veterinarian.

Cats, dogs, iguanas—you name it and Dr. Stuart Dalton has treated it. As a veterinarian and the owner of White Bear Animal Hospital his doors are always open to ailing animals, but a few weeks ago he got a call about a sick assistance dog. At the time he had no idea this call would change the life of a pet owner. The call came from the Courage Center, a rehabilitation facility that specializes in helping people with disabilities. One of their clients, Steve Cluckey was near tears over his dog Brewster. Cluckey thought his 3-year-old black lab had a raw hide lodged in its stomach.  “He was getting sick and he wouldn’t eat and he just wasn’t the same Brewster,” Cluckey said. “So, I took him into the vet but they wanted to charge me $400 just…

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Courage Center's Rolling Twins Will Get A Field Of Their Own

Local wheelchair softball teams are thanking lots of supporters, the Minnesota Twins, the city of Brooklyn Park and a Major League Baseball/Pepsi Refresh Grant.

Manny Guerra has spent the past 20 years playing wheelchair softball for various teams in the Twin Cities area. If there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s the importance of a quality ballpark he and his teammates can call home. “It’s about self confidence, the ability to execute a play,” Guerra said. “For us to be playing wheelchair ball, it makes you feel better about what you’re doing. You’re not playing in a parking lot. You’re playing in a very nice venue that’s customized to your sport. You can feel proud about that.” Thanks to the city of Brooklyn Park, the Minnesota Twins and the Major League Baseball/Pepsi Refresh Grant contest, Guerra and his teammates will have that luxury beginning next season. The Golden Valley-based Courage …

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Get Outside, Golden Valley!

Get Out: Celebration of Courage and Market in the Valley

Every week, Golden Valley Patch gives you some idea for where to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It's time to plan another weekend, Golden Valley residents. This week you can support the Courage Center in 1930s New Orleans and pick up some fresh produce. Golden Valley     Southwest Minneapolis     St. Louis Park       Hopkins     Minnetonka     Lake Minnetonka     Edina     Richfield     Plymouth  

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Where in the Valley?

'Where in the Valley?' Answer: Courage Center

Test your knowledge of Golden Valley sights.

This week's "Where in the Valley?" is the Courage Center sign. For nearly 40 years, Courage Center's Golden Valley location has empowered people with disabilities to reach their full potential in every aspect of life. It is located at 3915 Golden Valley Road.

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Courage Center Helps People With Disabilities Reach Their Potential

Facility envisions a community where everyone is judged by what they can do, not what they can't.

Correction: Susan Fink's last name previously was incorrect in two photo captions. They have been corrected. The first thing visitors notice about Courage Center is that it's heavy on the tree cover and bubbling brooks, and light on the distractions of the day-to-day world. Limiting distractions fits with the center's singular focus—doing whatever it takes to empower people with disabilities to reach their full potential in every aspect of life. Courage Center, with headquarters in Golden Valley, has facilities across Minnesota. “If something is new, we're usually one of the first in the area to offer it,” said Sue Warner, communications specialist at Golden Valley's Courage Center. She cites the ABLE (Activity-Based Locomotor Exercise) …

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Golden Valley Nonprofits Say Shutdown Will Hurt the Vulnerable

Courage Center, WorkAbilities officials say cuts could lead to less independence, fewer rehabilitation services.

Already reeling from the Great Recession and a challenging fundraising climate, nonprofit leaders are bracing for the blow a shutdown will strike. Many nonprofits receive local, state or federal government funding. In some cases, federal dollars are dispersed through state agencies and if there’s no one at the state level to receive receipts and allocate money, nonprofits are left without that funding. The Wednesday ruling of Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin stated which service categories are considered "essential" and therefore funded during a shutdown. But the ruling wasn't specific enough for employees of WorkAbilities Inc. of Golden Valley to know how much funding they will receive. WorkAbilities provides day training …

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Obituary: Kevin Sullivan, Advocate for the Disabled

The 51-year-old local man founded a company devoted to helping the disabled live independently.

Like many entrepreneurs, Kevin Sullivan figured he would have to take it upon himself to change something he didn't like. Sullivan was his own first client in 1991, when he founded a company devoted to helping the disabled live at home and, according to its mission, “control their lives and their health care needs in an atmosphere of independence.” In Sullivan’s time as the company’s founding executive, In Home Personal Care grew to serve and employ hundreds of people, and Sullivan established himself as one of Minnesota’s leading advocates for the disabled. On June 14, Sullivan was found dead, seated behind the wheel of his minivan, in the parking lot at the Ridgedale Byerly’s. He was 51. His mother, Laura Sullivan, recalled Kevin as a …

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