Former Independence Resident Organizes
Wheelchair "March" on the Capitol April 12

Betheny Gaines Winkler to Push for Passage of
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act in DC

For Immediate Release:

In the spirit of carrying on the legacy of Christopher Reeve, wheelchair activist, Betheny Winkler, daughter-in-law of Mildred Winkler of Independence, will “Spring Into Action” in Washington, DC on April 12th.

Betheny will emcee the Rally which she and 5 other women organized. Also joining will be hundreds of other victims of spinal cord injuries, Betheny, a lifelong Kansan now residing in Oklahoma, will host Marc Buonoconti of the Miami Project, Rhode Island Congressman James Langevin and Dana Reeve, wife of the late Christopher Reeve, before meeting with 3 Oklahoma legislators to push for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act.

The "Spring Into Action" Rally is organized by 6 volunteer grassroots activists from the CareCure Community, an online forum for spinal cord injury victims and their families, of over 9,000 members.  The rally is a “first” for the largely invisible disabled population. 

For the event, Betheny coordinated 47 legislative appointments for 200 rallyers from 25 states around the country. The goal is the same for all participants: increase funding for research, rehabilitation and quality of life care for spinal cord injury victims.

During meetings with legislators, participants will urge support for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act and funding to establish a clinical trial network for spinal cord injury research in the U.S. Participants also urge the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies to place a higher priority on spinal cord injury research.

Betheny Gaines Winkler, born and raised in Augusta, was injured in a fall in August 2000. The injury left Betheny with incomplete quadriplegia. Like all of the participants involved, Betheny is funding her own travel costs to get to DC to carry on the Reeve legacy.
 
For more information on the CureParalysisNow.org "Spring Into Action" Rally, contact:

Contact:
Betheny Gaines Winkler
405-577-5391
scubawinks@sbcglobal.net
or
Aaron Toso
Cause Communications
303-292-1524