Community support provides funding to benefit area amputees
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PARKERSBURG -- An area nonprofit has received support from a local grant source to help fund programming for amputees in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
In March, the Bernard-McDonough Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to the Amputee Center.
The grant will enable the center, which opened in April 2021, to offer free classes to amputees and to lower class prices to reduce barriers to participate.
Programs include fitness classes, such as aerial yoga, bungee fitness, taichi, line dance and ballroom dance. Other community offerings include cookie decorating, bonsai workshop and essential oils, as well as amputee public outings, such as a Peoples Bank Theatre concert and a Valley Gem river cruise. The class list can be found at https://www.theamputeecenter.com/book-a-class.
Those in the area living with any level of limb loss or limb difference are encouraged to participate in monthly mixers held 6:30 p.m. second Tuesdays of the month at the Amputee Center. The group is an opportunity to receive inspiration and learn tips and tricks from others who are sharing the same journey.
Open Hour from 1-4 p.m. Thursdays have been an opportunity to take advantage of all the Amputee Center has to offer. Amputees can stop by the center to explore resources, chat with a peer or learn about fitness classes and other programs available to area amputees. Then from 4-5 p.m., the center encourages everyone to stay for a worry-free amputee-only fitness class. The class is free and can also be attended by the spouse, friend or caregiver of the amputee. Other program activities available to amputees include Reiki, peer-to-peer support and a resource wall and lending library. The Amputee Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is the first nonprofit in the nation to have a physical location for amputees to meet, exercise, find emotional support and access to resources.
The center is located in the plaza near the Memorial Bridge at 2311 Ohio Ave., Suite B, Parkersburg. For more information, visit TheAmputeeCenter.com or Facebook.com/theamputeecenter or call 304-699-2373.