TRIUMPH FOUNDATION

Triumph Foundation provides leadership at SCI Support Groups that meet throughout Southern California. The meetings address both practical and emotional needs of people living with SCI to enable the injured person, and their families, to network, get candid advice and guidance from others who have faced similar circumstances, and stay updated on current events.

After being discharged from the hospital, many people with SCI feel alone and isolated, and are faced with the reality of their injury and have many questions. Triumph understands that this injury goes beyond the acute phase, and has lifelong implications.

Triumph Foundation’s Ambassadors provide peer counseling, mentor-ship, and advocacy to help people successfully adjust to life at home and reintegrate back into the community. Having a spinal cord injury may be a detour in life, but it is not a roadblock. We have created a network of people who have triumphed over their SCI.

The SCI Groups are open to people with spinal cord injury and other causes of paralysis or mobility impairments, and their friends, family, caregivers and others affected by their disability. Each meeting has its own personality that is created by its participant’s interests and needs. Some of our groups form a circle in a meeting room where attendees participate in a group discussion, others feature guest speakers and discuss topics of interest, many go on outings and enjoy fun activities, and others are simply mixers where people can just hang out in a group setting. Triumph calls our meetings Life Series Groups because of the variety of structures.

Triumph Foundation assists people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to get necessary equipment, supplies, and services. Individuals who are dealing with paralysis are often discharged from a hospital without a wheelchair to go home in; without necessary supplies for daily care; without the ability to enter their home due to a lack of accessibility; and without other essential goods and services.

These critical items will enable someone to live a more functional, fulfilling, and independent life, but inadequate health insurance coverage and financial hardship keep it out of reach. Triumph works to bridge that gap thru our Keep Moving Forward (KMF) Grant program, our Employment Achievement Award, and our Equipment & Supply Exchange.

THE KEEP MOVING FORWARD (KMF) GRANT:
This program helps individuals with inadequate insurance and financial hardship make necessary home modifications, gain access to adaptive equipment, and reintegrate into the community. The Foundation has supplied tangible resources including ramps, wheelchairs, vehicle modifications, assistive technology, and other equipment to dramatically enhance the quality of lives.

EMPLOYMENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Every quarter, Triumph Foundation assists a local member of the SCI community with a monetary award to support vocational pursuits, rejoin the workforce, enhance skills, or launch an entrepreneurial venture.

EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE:
Triumph Foundation facilities a repurposing program that helps people find a new home for specialized equipment they no longer need and would like to donate. These items include medical supplies, wheelchairs, specialized equipment (such as lifts and ramps}, therapeutic equipment and vehicles.

Triumph Foundation’s Adaptive Recreation program gives people with disabilities an opportunity to push the limits of their ability and enhance their quality of life. Our mission is to provide adaptive sports, fitness, recreation, and outdoor adventure events to people living in the Southern California community.

As a recognized Paralympic Sport Club with the United States Olympic Committee, Triumph Foundation makes activities like riding bikes, target shooting, and playing sports achievable for people with mobility impairments. Our program includes competitive sports, organized events, health and wellness activities, sport instruction, and FUN!

Triumph Foundation believes exercise is medicine; that living a healthy lifestyle is an important part of every individual's life, but particularly in the life of a disabled individual; and that staying fit is essential to recovery and to avoiding secondary complications. Sports and athletics are a great way to stay healthy.

The benefits of Adaptive Recreation go beyond the physical, they transcend and contribute to the mental wellness and self-esteem for injured individuals. Among the ongoing challenges of spinal cord injury is a sense of being fragile and overprotected; sports allow a person to release pent up emotions, feel a sense of camaraderie and fellowship among teammates, and find a sense of purpose.

Triumph Foundation works to expand the number of para-athletes, increase community involvement in wheelchair sports, and we partner with community based programs to enhance their capability.