Frequently Asked Questions
1. Our chapter is a 501(c)(3) non profit charity, so
all
donations should be tax deductable. 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 or 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 (PN)
Magazine 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 their
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. The NVWG
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
organization. Here in St. Louis, we receive a portion 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!