EMILY
CONNER WINS SHAKE-A-LEG-NEWPORT’S TOP AWARD
NEWPORT,
R.I. (July 16, 2002) – At a July 11 dinner
reception at the Hyatt Regency-Newport, Emily
Conner of Houston, Texas was awarded Shake-A-Leg-Newport’s
highest honor, the Lauren Meaney Spirit Award.
The award recognizes individuals who have overcome
great adversity and their outstanding contributions
to society, and is presented annually during Shake-A-Leg’s
Wall Street and Corporate Challenge regatta. Shake-A-Leg,
a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization,
is world-renowned for providing traditional and
alternative therapeutic services to develop life
skills for individuals who have experienced trauma
to the spinal cord and nervous system disorders.
With administrative offices in Middletown, R.I.,
Shake-A-Leg operates its therapy programs at Newport’s
Salve Regina University and its award-winning
sailing programs at Fort Adams State Park
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Emily
Conner
|
After
Conner graduated from high school in 1996, her
plans to study dance at the University of Denver
were dashed during a boating trip when she dove
into shallow water and broke her neck. Her doctor
at the time told her that she would never regain
more than two percent of her functions, adding
that she should simply “get used to it.”
Conner’s mother, Anne Conner, a real estate
broker in Houston, recalls thinking at the time,
“Either science or prayers are going to
change her situation.” The family decided
to find a new doctor and pursue every opportunity,
with Emily committing to moving on with her life
in any way that she could.
During
her recovery time in the hospital, Howard Wolf,
chairman of Houston-based The Institute for Rehabilitation
and Research (TIRR), visited Emily and shared
his vision of finding a cure for spinal cord injury
and partnering four medical schools--Baylor, Texas,
Texas Galveston and Texas A&M—in their
research. Inspired, Emily committed to funding
the collaboration. Within six months, she had
raised the first million dollars for “Mission
Connect.”
Six
months after her initial rehabilitation, Emily
enrolled in the University of St. Thomas, Houston
and eventually received a Bachelors Degree. Now
22-years-old and attending South Texas Law School,
she credits her experiences at Shake-A-Leg for
helping her to move forward in body, mind and
spirit.
“I
didn't realize what a big deal this was,"
said Emily after receiving the award. “I'm
very honored, because I was chosen from among
all my peers in the Shake-A-Leg program. They
are all wonderful people and have such incredible
stories to share.”
Conner’s
experience with Shake-A-Leg began in 1999 when
she was introduced to the program through a friend
of her mother’s. “Emily was not the
least bit interested in going to Shake-A-Leg,”
said Anne Conner, “but I pushed her hard
and she finally agreed to go for a week.”
After 48 hours at Shake-A-Leg, Emily called her
parents to inform them that she would be staying
for the entire five-week program. She participated
in Shake-A-Leg the following year as well and
maintains a close association with the organization.
For
more information, contact Shake-A-Leg-Newport
at P.O. Box 1264, Newport, R.I., 401-849-8898
(phone), 401-848-9072 (fax), Larrygadsby@aol.com.
Results will be available at www.shakealeg.org
or www.wsccc.org
