Thursday, May 19, 2022

NATALIE BARNHARD: UNITED SPINAL’S 2021 FINN BULLERS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR

 REALIZING A DREAM FOR IMPROVED REHAB ACCESS

For years, Barnhard had a dream to start a local rehabilitation facility in Buffalo. Through fundraising and a significant amount of her own money, the Natalie Barnhard Center for SCI Rehabilitation and Recovery will open its doors in June and celebrate a grand opening with VIPs in September. The center is supported by the Motion Project Foundation, the new name for the new focus of the former Wheels with Wings.

“It is like any fitness center or gym where you go to work out – but everything is geared to people with SCI or related needs,” she said. “The equipment is adapted and the trainers understand what the goals and expectations are. It’s not like going to PT in an institution, it’s going to a warm, colorful and fun place.”

The 6,000-square-foot facility includes the rehab/workout area, a treatment room, kitchen, offices and spaces for caregivers and support groups to meet. Barnhard spent more than a year looking for a location that features lots of accessible parking, transit access and a prime location near the airport, hotels, restaurants and amenities.

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