BEVERLY, Mass.–The physical trauma experienced by one credit union CEO has led to a month-long campaign during Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Month to support Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s Supportive Surroundings program in Boston.
Throughout September, Beverly Credit Union, which has $27 million in assets and serves nearly 2,000 members north of Boston, said it will donate $25 for every new deposit account opened.
The initiative has special meaning for Beverly Credit Union CEO Tom Hankard, who suffered a spinal cord injury earlier this year, according to the credit union.
After undergoing spinal decompression surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Hankard spent three months receiving intensive inpatient treatment at Spaulding Rehabilitation before returning home and making it back to work just last month.
Changing Life in an ‘Instant’
“A spinal cord injury can change someone’s life in an instant. It certainly changed mine forever,” Hankard said in a statement. “Like the approximately 300,000 other Americans living with a spinal cord injury, I work on my recovery every day. This campaign is a small way for us to help patients and families facing a future with an SCI.”
According to Beverly CU, Spaulding’s Supportive Surroundings program assists patients and families experiencing the financial and practical challenges associated with an SCI and an extended rehabilitation hospital stay. The program helps provide accessible lodging and other essential support as patients transition from intensive inpatient rehabilitation toward returning home.
