FLEX TIME R I D E F O R PA R A L Y S I S
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Alum’s Giant ‘Next Step’ Crosses Our Nation
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T WAS the adventure of a lifetime. Janne Kouri ’93 rode his power wheelchair across the
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country — from his home in Manhattan Beach, Calif., to
01 Kouri’s ride took him across
the country and into 14 cities, with many friends and supporters joining him for 50- to 100-mile stretches along the way.
Washington, D.C. — to raise awareness and funds to support
the six million individuals and wounded service members living with paralysis in the U.S. Kouri’s two-month journey began on March 10, concluding
02 After sustaining a spinal
on May 15 and covering 2,900 miles and 14 cities. He was joined along the way by other participants, including ABC News correspondent Will Reeve ’10, who biked and ran alongside him with the mission of educating and inspiring. Reeve — whose father, the late Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995 — covered the story for Good Morning America. In all, the “Ride for Paralysis” raised more than $350,000. Kouri is the founder of Next Step, a nonprofit organization that makes life-changing rehabilitation accessible and affordable to those living with paralysis. “It was just amazing and inspiring in many ways, and also sad in some ways, meeting people who are living with disabilities, or whose family members are living with disabilities, and who don’t have access to the resources that they need,” Kouri told the Washington Post. “That’s the whole mission.”
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cord injury in 2006, Kouri and his wife, Susan, founded Next Step to help provide community fitness, health, and wellness resources to the six million people with paralysisrelated disabilities in America. 03 Kouri came across the
finish line in Washington, D.C., on the campus of Georgetown University, where he starred as a football player for the Hoyas from 1993–1997. Will Reeve ’10 (above left) was there to see it. 04 Supporters, participants,
family, and friends “champagne-toasted” Kouri at the finish line.
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