If there's one thing you learn after a spinal cord injury is that perfection is no longer possible in the way you once defined the word. Your definition of "perfect" can change, and this is how The Be Perfect Foundation, a spinal cord injury nonprofit that gives scholarships for activity-based therapy, got its name.
The founder, Hal Halgrave Jr., was directly inspired by a line from the well-known TV show featuring a paralyzed character, Friday Night Lights. "Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you did not let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn't one more thing you could have done,” Coach Gaines.
And that is the essence of the Be Perfect Foundation. With their scholarships and their support, their team is able to help people with spinal cord injuries live their best life. They believe life's value is in how it is lived, not merely what you've accomplished.
And this applies to how they view the work you put into rehabilitation.
Not only should you commit yourself to do everything you can to recover for yourself, but it is also a way of loving your family and friends as well. Read on to learn more about this life-changing foundation that strives to help as many people as they can in the Los Angeles area and beyond.
The Be perfect foundation wouldn't exist if it wasn't for a fateful day in 2007 when Hal Halgrave jr. was driving a truck in Las Vegas, and turned to swerve debris on the road. He lost control and rolled the truck four times, breaking his neck at the C5-6 level. Finding himself permanently paralyzed, unsure of the life he was to live as a quadriplegic, Halgrave strived to work his butt off in rehab to recover as much as possible.
The only problem was that insurance would only pay for so much rehabilitation, and it wasn't the kind of rehabilitation that Halgrave was seeking.
It wasn't until visiting project walk and seeing activity-based was when he became inspired by the prospects of intense physical therapy that could bring for him, but not only for others. After insurance stopped paying for Halgrave’s rehab, he continued his therapy in a nearby gym paying for it out-of-pocket.
Feeling bad for fellow spinal cord injury survivors he met while in rehab, who had gone through the same situation as he did, Halgrave invited them to work out in his new workout center. Quickly, Hal’s therapy gym was a hit. He decided to send his trainers to Project walk to study in the <dzy> method, which activity-based therapy is heavily based on, to ensure everyone was getting the best version of activity-based therapy as possible.
Armed with a team of trained therapists and driven by the needs of the dozens of paralyzed people who enjoy coming to the gym, Halgrave decided to officially form an activity-based therapy center and called it The Perfect Step, which they formed at the same time as The Be Perfect Foundation, to help fund scholarships for people to attend the gym but could not afford it. And if you are in need of other assistance other than activity-based therapy, they will help pay for important medical items like wheelchairs, home renovations, and ramps, exercise equipment, driving adaptations, and other medical equipment.
If applying for a scholarship, The Be Perfect Foundation accepts applications from people in Southern California and the Claremont area, but they will consider applications from those further away, as virtual therapy is offered. They have mostly have helped people from Southern California however, since The Perfect Step foundation exists in Pomona, California. And they offer an online application to make it easy to apply for a scholarship. You can find the application here: https://beperfectfoundation.org/online-sponsorship-app
In addition, if family or friends want to donate in your name, or if you want to specifically donate therapy hours and/or medical equipment to anyone in need, you can do so by clicking here: https://beperfectfoundation.org/donate-3. The Be Perfect Foundation is also seeking your help via their annual fundraising event in April 2022, their 9th Annual Scholarship Gala. This event is how they raise a majority of their funds. Click here to learn more:
https://beperfectfoundation.org/