Triumph Foundation: Rising from the Ashes, Stronger Than Ever


Triumph Foundation (Golden State Chapter): Rising from the Ashes, Stronger Than Ever

Triumph Foundation’s rapid growth has even surprised Skinner.
Triumph Foundation’s rapid growth has even surprised Skinner. Photo by Tiffany J Photography.

On June 26, a fire ravaged the Southern California storage unit containing all the merchandise and equipment that the Triumph Foundation had accumulated since its inception in 2008. The care baskets the organization delivers to newly injured people, the DME the organization had bought and had donated, the T-shirts and marketing material the organization had used to grow into one of the region’s most recognizable SCI-related organizations — all of it was gone. “We really started back at square one,” Andrew Skinner, the Foundation’s founder, says. “It was devastating.”

But in the fashion typical of a SCI survivor, Skinner, a quad, wasted no time bemoaning the situation and quickly got to planning its rebirth. “Time has allowed the wounds to heal,” he says. “I really think we’re going to emerge from these ashes better than ever. Sometimes a fire will lay a soil that’s even more fertile and enable even greater growth.”

Delivering care baskets to the newly injured is one of Triumph founder Andrew Skinner’s (right) favorite things to do.
Delivering care baskets to the newly injured is one of Triumph founder Andrew Skinner’s (right) favorite things to do.

Skinner was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the local community. “We connected with many people through the fire that we most likely never would have if it weren’t for this tragedy,” he says. “We hope we can build on those connections and keep them involved with the organization going forward.”

He pointed out that the fire also offered an opportunity to include United Spinal’s logo on some of the newly replaced merchandise in light of the Triumph Foundation’s recent decision to sign on as a chapter. Skinner says the union was long in the making.

“We’ve been working closely with United Spinal for a number of years,” he says. “It was just kind of inevitable that we joined forces officially.” Skinner is excited to be a part of United’s national network of chapters and support groups. “We are focused on Southern California but we get contacted by people all over the nation regularly,” says Skinner, “so I’m frequently referring them to other chapters that may be able to serve them better and provide the peer one-on-one support they need.”

From helping people modify their homes to coaching kids’ basketball, Triumph Foundation is there for its members.
From helping people modify their homes to coaching kids’ basketball, Triumph Foundation is there for its members.

Connecting with newly injured people and providing peer support has always been at the heart of Triumph Foundation. Skinner founded the organization four years after he was injured as a means to help others who may or may not have had the support he did during his recovery. “In 2008 we never dreamed it would become such a force in the disabled community. I thought I’d just be doing mentoring in my local hospital.”

One hospital turned into two, two turned into three and soon Skinner and friends were driving all over Southern California to visit people in rehab and home settings. As the organization expanded its reach, it added programs to serve its new clientele. “From there we just recognized more need, whether it be helping people modify their houses, or helping people with inadequate health insurance get the equipment that was necessary,” says Skinner. Today Triumph Foundation delivers care baskets, offers peer mentoring, helps people with financial restraints, assists with home modifications, oversees adaptive sports and holds numerous fundraisers and community events. Skinner’s wife, Kirsten, even organizes annual wives and girlfriends retreats for the significant others of men with SCI. Skinner says the key to Triumph Foundation’s growth has been following his heart. “I don’t have any ulterior motives,” he says. “When I go visit people, I’m not trying to sell them anything, I really just go in there wanting to see them make the best of themselves they possibly can.”

Triumph takes to the streets once a month.
Triumph takes to the streets once a month.

With so many programs to support, fundraising has grown more important. An annual casino night and a number of smaller fundraisers help, but grants have taken on a more critical role. The organization’s longevity and reputation have made the going easier, but Skinner says the key to landing grants is understanding the process is “a numbers game” and being relentless. “You apply to enough of them and one of them will come through,” he says. “You can’t take it personally because there are so many other worthwhile charitable organizations out there.”

To find out more about Triumph Foundation, visit triumph-foundation.org or www.facebook.com/TriumphOverSCI.


Spotlight: Los Angeles

Olivia Almalel

By Olivia Almalel

My Take

The wheelchair community here is thriving, with plenty of options for wheelchair users to enjoy active and fulfilling lives. A number of local organizations offer enough recreational opportunities to all but overwhelm even the hardiest enthusiasts, including Triumph Foundation, United States Adaptive Recreation Center, Casa Colina Outdoor Adventures, Life Rolls On and UCLA Adaptive Recreation. Water and snow skiing, surfing and skating, handcycling, baseball, target shooting and curling — you name it, we’ve got it.

If sports aren’t your thing, other options include attending the annual Abilities Expo — one of the largest in the country, or there is the Festival of Human Abilities, located at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which showcases the talents of the disabled community. Also, programs like Artists for Trauma run art workshops in a variety of mediums to explore your creative side. Get your wheeling on with several wheelchair dance schools, like Infinite Flow, or you can go extreme with WCMX events (find Box Wheelchairs on Facebook for information).

Skinny on the City

Los Angeles is the home of world-class theme parks, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, beautiful beaches, and a variety of world renowned landmarks. Depending on our notorious traffic, you are minutes away from the ocean, deserts, forests, and snow-capped mountains; and to top it off, year-round sun and mild temperatures make it a haven for wheelchair users.

Available Health Care

The Los Angeles area is chock-full of hospitals that specialize in spinal cord injury, with Northridge Hospital, Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital and Casa Colina Hospital heading the list. The need for accessible gyms and adapted exercise facilities with cutting edge recovery services has been met by places like Strides SCI Functional Fitness, VIP NeuroRehabilitation Center, NextStep Fitness, Center of Restorative Exercise, Goodwill Fitness Center, and Cal State Northridge’s Center of Achievement. They have filled the gap between traditional outpatient rehabilitation therapy and commercial gyms. All levels of disability are welcome and have many options to choose from while having the opportunity to exercise in a safe environment with knowledgeable staff.

Going to the Getty Center? Enjoy taking the easily accessible tram up the hill.
Going to the Getty Center? Enjoy taking the easily accessible tram up the hill. Photo by Christian Schd/Wikimedia Commons.

Places to Go

Located atop the Santa Monica Mountains and offering majestic views of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, The Getty Center is one of America’s most beautiful museums and surprisingly accessible. An easily accessible tram transports visitors up the hill to the 110-acre site. The museum’s bounty of European and American art could keep you busy for days, but it is just as easy to get lost exploring the vast gardens, admiring the architecture or simply enjoying a snack from the café and looking out on Southern California. If you get hot exploring the many accessible paths outside, the air-conditioned interior of the museum makes for great, easy rolling. The museum offers a number of guest speakers, performances and events, so make sure to check the calendar at www.getty.edu/visit/center.

Getting Around

Getting around is more fun when you have an adventurous spirit. If you don’t have personal transportation, you can look up local mobility companies like Ability Center (in Long Beach and Orange County) to inquire about renting wheelchair-accessible vans. If you need to get around sooner rather than later, most taxi services have apps for the smartphone user to get an accessible taxi. Public transportation apps such as nextbus (www.nextbus.com) also make it easy to locate buses and timetables for local adventures. The growing Metro Rail Service is also 100 percent wheelchair accessible. If you need curb-to-curb accessible service, visit www.go511.com to inquire about visitor status with available accessible and paratransit services of Los Angeles or Orange County.

Must See, Must Do

Route 66 Classic Grill: Americana rules at this tasty ’50s diner throwback in Santa Clarita. It’s a little bit of a drive from the city (about 30 minutes north of UCLA), but they host the Triumph Foundation’s Eat-for-a-Cause Fundraiser every year, and everyone always has a great time on their accessible patio.


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