SUPPORTING THE NEW ENGLAND AREA

Jack Trottier, Boston-area resident, to receive $10,000 grant from High Fives Foundation

Trottier suffered a snowboarding related injury fracturing his C6 vertebrae resulting in paralysis.

In January 2013 Jack Trottier, star quarterback for Tyngsborough High School outside of Boston, was snowboarding with some friends in the backyard of his Massachusetts home. Jack and crew built a jump, and each of the kids were trying some new tricks. On a particular inverted trick, Jack found himself off axis causing him to land directly on his neck and shoulder. Immediately after the crash Jack was rushed to Boston Children’s Hospital where doctors told him that he had fractured his C6 vertebrae and was paralyzed from the chest down.

The High Fives Foundation – Winter Empowerment program service disburses board-approved grants to winter action sports athletes who are recovering from a life-altering injury.

In August, 2014, the Foundation’s Board of Directors Grant Selection Committee approved a grant for Trottier, a High Fives Winter Empowerment Athlete. The grant award Trottier will receive totals $10,000.  It will be used to cover six months of physical therapy at Journey Forward, a Canton, Mass. Rehabilitation facility.

Earlier this year, Roy Tuscany (Co-Founder of the High Fives Foundation) attended one of the Foundation’s Boston events and had the pleasure of meeting Trottier. Tuscany, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2006, spoke to Trottier about rehabilitation and goal setting. Trottier informed Roy that he had recently started working toward recovery at a spinal rehab facility called Journey Forward. He was excited to share the news of the gains he was making at the facility, but that it also came with a virtually unmanageable out-of-pocket cost.

When Tuscany returned to Truckee, Calif., High Fives Foundation headquarters, he contacted the Trottier Family and worked with them to submit an application and budget to be reviewed by the organizations Board of Directors for therapy at Journey Forward.

Since the Foundation’s inception in January, 2009, the Winter Empowerment program service has assisted 61 athletes from 18 states in nine respective funding categories which include: living expenses, insurance, travel, health, healing network, adaptive equipment, winter equipment, programs and stoke (positive energy, outlook and attitude). In 2014, the High Fives Foundation has set a budget of disbursing $196,000 via board-approved grants through the Winter Empowerment Fund. Thus far in 2014, 16 High Fives Athletes and two organizations have been awarded a sum of 20 board-approved grants for a total of $168,000.

In the month of August the High Fives Foundation also disbursed funds to, Max Elles of of Burlington, Vt. and Jeff Andrews of Truckee, Calif. The Foundation’s Board of Directors Grant Selection Committee approved a total of $18,201 to be used towards these athletes Winter Empowerment Grants.