MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—On March 28, community members will gather to celebrate hope in motion at the 10th anniversary celebration for Project Walk New Jersey. Through local impact and partnerships with nonprofits like Help Hope Live, Project Walk has impacted thousands of lives with meaningful neurological recovery.
Project Walk’s work is life-changing—just ask 31-year-old spinal cord injury survivor Lauren Shevchek.
Since a dive into a dark pool at age 19, Lauren has been navigating the “new normal” of paralysis with determination, grace, and community support. Going from an athletic and independent teen to a young woman reliant on others for 24/7 caregiving and health support, Lauren knew she needed to devote her time to intensive therapy to regain as much independence and mobility as possible.
Project Walk NJ became a source of tangible hope. With intensive specialized exercise-based therapy programs, Project Walk allows people like Lauren to pursue exactly the therapies they need to physically and mentally thrive after a life-changing event.
Project Walk assists individuals and families living with a wide variety of diagnoses, from cerebral palsy to paralysis to ALS and beyond. Thanks to their reputation, their clients are not only local to the tristate but national and sometimes even international.
Cost is often a barrier. Despite the proven medical impact of exercise-based rehabilitation, these therapies are often not covered by insurance, which can leave individuals like Lauren on the hook for a large investment to maintain their gains: “Annually, my life with paralysis costs over $100,000 out of pocket,” she explained. That’s where nonprofits like Help Hope Live come in. Headquartered just down the road from Project Walk New Jersey in Radnor, PA, the national nonprofit provides trusted medical fundraising support to thousands of individuals and families locally and across the country who are facing out-of-pocket costs they can’t cover alone.
Project Walk New Jersey regularly refers clients to Help Hope Live to ensure they can afford the specialized therapies they need most. Several times per year, Help Hope Live offers a community day at Project Walk to help families take their first steps towards medical fundraising, supported by real, compassionate people.
Project Walk also maintains a special fundraising page with Help Hope Live to help fill the gap for their clients when therapy is financially out of reach.
Lauren began fundraising with Help Hope Live just 1 month after her injury. While engaging in online fundraising and holding beloved local events such as an annual golf tournament, Lauren has become an Ambassador for Help Hope Live, helping other individuals impacted by paralysis to find the nonprofit and start fundraising.
Lauren has embraced her community, her faith, her voice, and her talents over the past 12 years, celebrating milestones ranging from sharing her cause at Phillies games to acting in feature films. “Life is about the journey,” she reflected. “In addition to strength in me that I never thought possible, I have found a community of unwavering support.”
Essential to that journey is the vision that Project Walk New Jersey and Help Hope Live share: that every individual like Lauren impacted by a life-changing diagnosis or injury should have access to all the therapies, resources, and community support they need to heal, live, and thrive.
About Help Hope Live Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $193 million to pay patient expenses, assisting more than 25,000 patient families. Reach them via phone at (800) 642-8399.
About Project Walk New Jersey Project Walk New Jersey improves quality of life for people affected by paralysis, mobility-related disorders, and neurological conditions through intensive activity-based recovery programs as well as education and training. Find Project Walk New Jersey at 521 Fellowship Road, Suite 155, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. Reach them via phone at (856) 439-6772.
