More than $150,000 was raised for the Luke Moretti Fund during a benefit concert last month at Life, the Place To Be, an event venue in Ardsley, according to organizer Rich Baumer. Baumer is a family friend of Moretti, a Scarsdale High School graduate who was paralyzed from the chest down in a diving accident last spring but is slowly regaining the use of his limbs at Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains.
Moretti set up the fund under the umbrella of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation in order to provide iPads to spinal-cord injury patients who have limited use of their hands. Baumer said more than 600 people came to the event, which featured the cast of Beatlemania.
A parallel fundraising effort at Moretti’s college, Vanderbilt University, raised more than $90,000 during a concert event called “Lights on the Lawn.” Members of Moretti’s fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, organized the event to pay for a treadmill walking system that will enable Moretti to return to his pre-med studies while continuing his therapy.
Luke Moretti, center, with the cast of Beatlemania and his father, Mike Moretti, in rear, at a fundraiser last month.
Contributed photo.
2 Comments
How do SCIpatients apply to receive one of the 600 iPads?
Hi Jennifer! I sent you a separate email. If you give me your contact details I’ll send them along to the right folks. However, since others reading this might have the same question, I’ll try and find the answer. I do know that when last I talked to Luke, this idea was in early stages of implementation. He first needs approval from the Reeve Foundation for his idea. Then they have to set up a protocol so that a doctor can affirm that the patient would benefit from the device. I imagine this might take a few months to get into place. I’ll keep you updated! Thanks for posting.