Dan Cirucci: NJ First Lady Salutes Those Battling Paralysis

Friday, September 23, 2011

NJ First Lady Salutes Those Battling Paralysis

New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie, David McCauley and board members of Rise Up to Cure Paralysis

After a devastating injury that paralyzed him from the chest down, David McCauley could have just given up. Instead, grateful for his personal support network, he launched the Rise Up to Cure Paralysis Foundation (RUTCP). The non-profit organization raises money to help others fighting paralysis and provides funding for medical research to find its cure. Yesterday, New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie named David McCauley as her sixth New Jersey Hero for his work to improve the lives of those facing the challenges of paralysis.

In 2008, a diving accident shattered McCauley’s C6 vertebrae and splintered his spinal cord. Currently, he is participating in clinical trials at the Kessler Foundation involving locomotor training and functional electronic stimulation and has recovered sensation and motor function to areas 2 feet below his level of injury.

“I’m deeply inspired by David’s commitment and motivation,” said Mrs. Christie. “He has overcome his own personal hurdles to make medical progress, and in the process, has dedicated himself to work at enhancing the quality of life for so many other people and families who are impacted by paralysis and its complications. I am proud to name David McCauley a New Jersey Hero.”

Run from McCauley’s Jersey City apartment, Rise Up to Cure Paralysis accomplishes its mission through its fundraising efforts that provide Research Grants for medical research as well as Quality of Life Grants for individuals in need of adaptive equipment or alternative therapies. Awarded on a quarterly basis, Quality of Life grants help defray the costs of wheelchairs and other daily living aids including rehab equipment, ramps and even eating utensils. The Foundation recently awarded a Quality of Life grant to a disabled skier to assist with the purchase of a Mono Snow Ski. Research Grants will be awarded annually to the best and brightest research facilities in the nation.

One of the Foundation’s innovative fundraising efforts is the Rise Up Art Gallery, a collection of artwork and photographs created by artists with disabilities. Proceeds raised from the sale of gallery artwork go directly to fund Quality of Life and Research grants. McCauley’s own photographs are in the collection as are some of the mosaic skateboards he designs. The next Rise Up Art Gallery Exhibition will be held in Jersey City this December.

“While I was in the hospital undergoing rehabilitation, I realized that many of my fellow patients didn’t have the extensive support system that I was so lucky to have behind me,” said David McCauley. “The injury does not discriminate -- teenagers, the elderly, people of all races and gender all faced the same challenges as me. Some may just need a wheelchair to move on with life, others may require a team of nurses 24 hours a day. This has been my motivation for Rise Up to Cure Paralysis.”

Approximately 6,000 New Jersey residents suffer from traumatic injuries or diseases that damage the spinal cord according to a 2009 report from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Nationally, the number of people living with a spinal cord injury totals 1,275,000.

To learn more about Rise Up to Cure Paralysis, visit http://www.rutcp.org/

New Jersey Heroes is an initiative of First Lady Mary Pat Christie that showcases the positive ways people and organizations are impacting New Jersey in their own unique ways. To nominate a hero, go to the bottom of the page at www.nj.gov/governor/firstlady and click the NJ Heroes tab. Follow the application instructions and submit the person you believe is a true New Jersey Hero.

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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