Knights of Columbus to Provide Prosthetics to Boston Marathon Bombing Amputees

Funding will help amputees acquire prosthetic care not covered by insurance

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus Stand With Boston Program will provide assistance for people who lost limbs in April's Boston Marathon bombings, the K of C will announce on Saturday. It is the latest in a series of Knights' initiatives to help provide mobility for individuals in the United States and abroad.

Those who lost limbs in the Boston bombing and could benefit from additional prosthetic treatment — beyond that covered by insurance or other programs — will be invited to apply to have the Knights cover the cost of an additional or higher-quality prosthesis in order to help the amputees regain as much mobility as possible.

The official unveiling of the initiative will be made by Knights of Columbus Supreme Advocate (General Counsel) John Marrella at the Challenged Athletes Foundation Reception at the NIKETOWN store (200 Newbury Street, Boston) on Saturday, October 5, 2013. The first prosthesis delivered through this program, a leg designed for sports, will also be presented to one of the survivors at that event.

The following day, volunteers who are members of the Knights of Columbus at Harvard and other area colleges will assist at the Challenged Athletes Foundation's Leg Amputee Running and Mobility Clinic at Harvard University (Cumnock V. Field, 65 North Harvard Street, Boston) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

"Medical coverage often has its limits," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, "but we want to help bridge that with this charitable program so that those who lost a limb in the bombing can recover even greater mobility."

Anderson added: "Following the example of the Good Samaritan, the Knights of Columbus has always sought to help those in need. What happened in Boston was a terrible reminder of the reality of evil in the world, but by responding with care for those who were hurt, we can show that the power of love is stronger than hatred or evil."

In implementing the program and reviewing applications, the Knights of Columbus will consult with a panel of experts in the field of prosthetics and rehabilitation. The panel will include representatives from several prosthetics-related organizations:  the Challenged Athletes Foundation; Project Medishare; and Ossur, a state-of-the-art prosthetics manufacturing company.

The Knights of Columbus has a long history of assisting those with mobility issues. The K of C has provided more than 40,000 wheelchairs to individuals throughout the United States as well as worldwide, from Afghanistan to Vietnam. And in the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Knights of Columbus committed $1.5 million and launched the "Healing Haiti's Children" initiative together with Project Medishare. Ossur and the Challenged Athletes Foundation also assisted with the program in Haiti, which has so far helped hundreds of Haitian children with prosthetic and rehabilitation care.

The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by Father Michael McGivney, a parish priest in New Haven, Conn. With charity as its central commitment, the organization has grown to 1.8 million members worldwide. Last year, Knights donated more than $167.5 million and more than 70 million hours of service to charitable causes.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus