The Ripple Effect
Be Plus One and feel the difference.
In recognition of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month, we are holding our annual fundraising event -- Stand Up for Plus One -- on April 1st, 2023 at the Ballard Elks Lodge! Join us for a fun evening featuring stand-up comedians, success stories from Plus One clients, tasty food and beverages, and a silent/live auction to fund programs for those with neurological conditions. Headlined by local Seattle comedian Meaghan Gross the evening will be a fun gathering.
Ushering in 2023 is a good time to plan to experience new activities and build unique memories. Plus One Foundation’s feature blog this week highlights the opportunities for accessing National Parks. In this post we also share an informative article by Outside Magazine that describes their pick of a sampling of parks for disabled visitors.
The National Parks Access Pass is free and promotes better accessibility to the National Park system. The Access Pass not only is free but provides a lifetime admission pass for those with blindness or a permanent disability. The pass can be used at National Park Service locations. The pass is a wonderful way to try and access the outdoors and natural wonders in North America.
There are 131 Washington State Parks throughout the State. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission offers the Disability pass to all Washington State residents who are blind, profoundly deaf, or disabled.
Benefits of this pass include:
Free entry to state parks; Free watercraft launch; Free trailer dump; 50% discount on nightly camping or moorage fees and Ability to reserve ADA accessible campsites.
The program offers a variety of benefits for visitors.
Read the featured article below by Outside that cover their picks for the disabled experiencing the National Park system.
National Park Pass
https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/north-america/best-national-parks-those-disabilities/
The Plus One Foundation mobilizes resources to inspire hope and enrich the lives of those affected by neurological conditions and educate the community about related issues.
The annual Plus One Foundation’s Mermaid Party, a Hawaiian themed celebration, helps grow access to aquatics for those with neurological conditions. With the support of Mary McKillop’s family and our generous donors, Plus One Foundation created the Mary 'Mermaid' McKillop Fund. Mermaid Passes are liquid gold to our community with neurological conditions. The donations to this fund are used to obtain all-access swimming pool passes to area pools for people with neurological conditions. This increased access to the pool for rehabilitation and the recovery process is life changing, helps maintain independence and strengthens social lives with a pool community.
Swimming is recognized for its benefits to health. Aquatics and swimming involves most of the muscle groups and benefits blood flow throughout the body.
Science is helping us understand that immersion in a pool boosts blood flow to the brain, which can help improve mood, clarity, and focus. (See, Shoemaker LN, Wilson LC, Lucas SJE, Machado L, Thomas KN, Cotter JD. Swimming-related effects on cerebrovascular and cognitive function. Physiol Rep. 2019; and Carter HH, Spence AL, Pugh CJ, Ainslie P, Naylor LH, Green DJ. Cardiovascular responses to water immersion in humans: impact on cerebral perfusion. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2014 May.)
This year’s Hawaiian themed Mermaid Party continues Plus One Foundation‘s promotion of enhancing access to aquatics.
Aloha- love, peace, and compassion to our Mermaid Pass swimmers and supporters.
If you or a loved one is affected by neurological disorders and would benefit from Aquatic Therapy, check out our grants page to learn more!
