OPAF announces Selected Accomplishments, 2005

March 29, 2006

• Celebrated our 10th year as the Official Philanthropy of the U.S. Orthotic and Prosthetic Community TM.
• Transitioned the Washington, DC OPAF office to a home office in Pennsylvania and condensed staff by one to show a reduction in overhead costs in excess of $90,000 per year.
• Launched First Volley TM, an adaptive tennis clinic for amputees and orthosis wearers, as well as those with limb differences. First of its kind, as USTA has only recognized able-bodied and wheelchair tennis in the past. Received press coverage and support not only from the O & P industry, but from the tennis community as well.
• Exhibited at nine state and regional O & P meetings, as well as both the Academy and AOPA shows in 2005. Began a grassroots approach of increasing the industry's awareness of OPAF as well as integrating with the local practitioners. Presented "OPAF Updates" to the New England Chapter meeting in October.
• Received the largest Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation grant to date in OPAF's history.
• Sponsored Evan Mathias, a 10 year old bilateral below knee amputee for three days of tournament play at the Ohio Amputee golf outing.
• Worked at improving relationships and support within the O & P industry, not only with our three sister organizations, but also with comparable associations working for those with physical needs.
• Participated as a founding partner in the O & P History Project, to recover and record the recent historical accounts of orthotics and prosthetics, post WW II and beyond.
• Staff, as well as board members, made numerous presentations to local interest groups and amputee support groups on OPAF programs and developments

OPAF announces Selected Accomplishments, 2004

August 24, 2004

Friends, Colleagues, and Members of the U.S. Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) Community,

Available here and above is a one-page summary of recent accomplishments by the Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF), O&P's official philanthropy charged with representing O&P through community and philanthropic service programs.

2004 has so far been a tremendous year for OPAF. Please know that without your patronage this year, as ever, OPAF would not be reaching these unprecedented levels of achievement. Thank you!

Today, OPAF is a dynamic and unique member of the national nonprofit community; indeed, it is an O&P-affiliated charity unlike any other. Connected simultaneously to O&P and to communities beyond—as evidenced through OPAF Public Service Announcements (PSAs), public presentations, and related communications—OPAF is now reaching, and in so doing raising awareness of O&P among, an unprecedented number of individuals and organizations that have a direct relationship to and interest in O&P.

OPAF includes among its recent accomplishments:

• Administering and helping to publicize, through the OPAF Fit for Life program and in cooperation with the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA) and O&P facilities nationwide, nearly a dozen First Swing clinics that assisted 100+ caregivers and individuals with disabilities in learning, or re-learning, the game of golf and, in so doing, gaining a greater sense of personal achievement;
• Providing, through the OPAF DC Community Initiative, weekly mentoring and leadership development to 100+ children and adolescents undergoing physical 100+ rehabilitation--approximately 90% of whom use orthoses and related 100+ assistive technology--at the non-profit Hospital for Sick Children 100+ in Washington, DC;
• Administering the OPAF Grant Program, a formal means of overseeing requests for funding received by OPAF, awarding modest financial assistance to two 501c3 nonprofit public charities that share OPAF's mission: The Sports Group and Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports;
• Receiving support from the Morrison and Foerster Foundation to begin replication of the OPAF DC Community Initiative across the country in the form of a new program, OPAF Community Connections;
• Involving six creative and team-minded college students in OPAF’s internship program and therefore in a direct opportunity to learn about O&P, the nonprofit sector, and public service to individuals with physical disabilities. This fall, one of OPAF’s interns will continue her O&P experience as she continues her formal education by enrolling in an O&P program;
• Awarding the first student scholarship associated with the OPAF Dale Yasukawa Memorial Fund; and
• Connecting, through nearly two dozen OPAF Public Service Announcements, PSAs, communities of individuals, organizations, and federal and state agencies that have a direct interest in promoting the past, present, and future of O&P.

Alongside many other accomplishments in development, OPAF received a second grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and first-ever grants from the Ramsay Merriam Fund, Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, and Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation.

In terms of publicity, OPAF has continued to publish monthly "OPAF Matters" in AOPA's O&P Almanac, thanks to the generosity of AOPA, and to receive regular coverage in the O&P Business News and the O&P Edge, thanks to the generosity of Slack Incorporated and Western Media LLC, respectively. And representing O&P to one of the largest audiences ever, OPAF has teamed with the Washington Council of Agencies (WCA), the largest and oldest membership organization of 1,130 nonprofits in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. This cooperation will give OPAF a "Spotlight" in the November-December 2004 issue of the WCA Nonprofit Agenda, which has a circulation of 16,000+ individuals, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in the region.

Also this year, OPAF represented O&P at government-sponsored volunteer fairs held by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services; at student-oriented events sponsored by American University, George Washington University, Howard University, Gallaudet University, and George Mason University; and on a second international research team organized by the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development.

Administratively, OPAF's accomplishments have involved substantial progress toward greater operational independence. So far this year OPAF has:

• Received 25+ hours of pro-bono legal service from Morrison & Foerster LLP;
• Obtained, for the first time in OPAF's history, the organization's own directors and officers and general liability insurance through the Alliance of Nonprofits for Insurance Risk Retention Group; and
• Continued to streamline internal bookkeeping, per 501c3 nonprofit best practices, and follow strategic plans commensurate with progress in programs, administration, and development.

Hands down, 2004 has been the best year in OPAF's history. 2005—OPAF's 10th anniversary year—holds even greater promise. OPAF's growth depends on the generosity of everyone, both inside and beyond the O&P community, who shares a commitment to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Thank you again for your continued support, now and always.

Sincerely and with all best wishes,

Jeffrey S. Reznick, Ph.D.
Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow
Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc.