FAQ's

1. Is the Gateway Chapter, Paralyzed Veterans of America a nonprofit organization?
Our Chapter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, so all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. 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. Is the Gateway Chapter, Paralyzed Veterans of America BBB accredited?
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. Who does your membership consist of?
We currently serve a membership of over 600 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. Does the Chapter have any publications?
We produce a bi-monthly publication to keep our members informed of the events and changes at the Chapter level. On a larger scale, our members also receive Paraplegia News (PN) Magazine free of charge from our National organization.

5. What are some services your Chapter provides to its members?
Every month we supply and serve lunch to the SCI/D Unit at Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center. We also provide holiday parties, food and beverages for the local Wheelchair Games and other sports clinics, vehicle accessibility grants, home accessibility grants, generator grants, free transportation, and funding for sports/recreation events. Please visit our programs tab to see a full list of our many ways that we serve our membership.

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

7. What does the Chapter provide for inpatients?
We provide the Spinal Cord Injury Center volunteers at both Jefferson Barracks and John Cochran Medical Centers with plenty of snacks to hand out to the patients, as well as supplies to keep the coffee cart going at all times. We provide phone cards to call home and canteen coupons for items patients may need. We also have a special Holiday Steak Dinner during the first week of January for those veterans who must spend their holidays in the hospital. Patient service is one of our main priorities.

8. How does the Gateway Chapter help members’ families?
We support the education of our members' families and our members' healthcare givers. Each year scholarship applications are made available to our members for their children’s education. Gateway PVA has supported healthcare workers in honing their skills over the years. We pay for seminars to keep skills current for select healthcare givers.

9. How is the Gateway Chapter funded?
The Gateway Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America receives no federal funding. We raise funds 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 small portion of our funds through donations mailed to us from our longtime supporters. We also apply for grant funds and our annual golf tournament brings in much needed funds.

10. Are there volunteer opportunities for the Gateway Chapter?
Each year we meet to review and modify our current strategic plan. A constant theme in each year's strategic plan is recruiting volunteers. Our members need your support. Please call our office if you would like to learn how you could help us realize our mission. You can also visit our volunteer tab on our website for more information.