Facts About Us

The most frequently asked question we encounter is: What does Gateway PVA do? Below are some of our main areas of service.

1) Our Chapter is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, so all donations should be tax-deductible. If needed, we can furnish a donation acknowledgement letter with our tax I.D. number. We do not receive any Federal Government funding, therefore, donations are essential.

2) We meet all 20 Better Business Bureau Standards of Charity Accountability and thus appear on their "Local Charities Honor Roll" for donors. Our most recent audit can be accessed from our homepage link or, if preferred, our last tax return (Federal Form 990) can be accessed from the St. Louis BBB website and Guidestar.com.

3) We currently serve a membership of over 600. Our members are all honorably discharged veterans with spinal cord injury or disease, which includes ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and other diseases that affect the central nervous system of the spinal cord.

4) We produce a bi-monthly publication to keep our members informed of what's going on at the chapter level. On a larger scale, our members also receive PARAPLEGIA NEWS and Sports-N-Spokes free of charge from our national organization.

5) Every month we supply and serve lunch to the SCI Unit at Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center. We also provide holiday parties, food for the local Wheelchair Games, and a special Holiday Steak Dinner between Christmas and New Year's for those vets who must spend the holidays in the hospital.

6) We provide the Spinal Cord Injury Center volunteers with plenty of snacks to hand out to the patients, as well as supplies to keep the coffee cart going all the time. We provide phone cards to call home and canteen coupons for items patients may need. Patient service is one of our main priorities.

7) Our sports/recreation program has been the vehicle for letting the catastrophically injured veteran know that life has not ended, even though it has been drastically altered. We provide activities for our members to participate in such as fishing, camping, picnic outings, bowling, billiards, and trap shooting. We also participate in and support the hospitals' recreational activities like basketball, swimming, power soccer and quad rugby. Gateway PVA was the host chapter of the 2004 National Veterans Wheelchair Games held in St.Louis, which is the largest wheelchair sporting event in the world.

8) Our transportation program provides trips to medical appointments and therapy for our members. We employ a part-time transportation driver, plus we have a volunteer driver who helps out on Wednesdays.

9) We sponsor four unique apartment complexes for the physically challenged. These are completely wheelchair accessible with the latest adaptations. Three complexes are in the St. Louis area and one is located in Independence, Missouri.

10) We support the education of our members' children and our members' healthcare givers. Each year scholarship applications are made available to our members for their children's education. Gateway PVA has supported health care workers in honing their skills over the years. We pay for seminars to keep skills current for select healthcare givers.

11) The Gateway Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America raises money for our programs in several ways. A large portion of our monthly income is derived from the sale of calendars and address labels by our National PVA office. Here in St. Louis, we receive a portion of our money through donations mailed to us from our long-time supporters. We also apply for grant money and our annual golf tournament brings in much-needed funds.

12) And finally, Gateway PVA developed the chapter's first Strategic Plan in 2001. Each year we meet to review and modify our current strategic plan. We are always seeking to build relationships with local corporations and neighbors. A constant theme in each year's strategic plan seems to be how to recruit volunteers. Our members need your support. Please call our office if you would like to learn how you could help us realize our mission.

Thank you!