The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has announced that Andrea Dalzell, Dr. Brian K. Kwon, and Reveca Torres, have been selected as the inaugural Craig H. Neilsen Visionary Prize awardees for being influential voices in the world of spinal cord injury (SCI), unafraid to take bold risks and advocate for new ideas to enrich lives affected by SCI.
Each recipient will receive a million dollar, unrestricted prize. The award is meant to draw attention to and celebrate passionate individuals advancing the world of SCI. The prize highlights values that were important to Craig in his lifetime, such as extraordinary determination, inexhaustible passion, and an ability to inspire.
Reveca is a member of our Board of Directors from Chicago and Andrea is a member of our NYC chapter and part of United Spinal’s Tech Access Initiative team . Both are highly active within our community and organization. United Spinal congratulates both Reveca and Andrea on this wonderful honor which recognizes their dedicated support of people living with spinal cord injuries across the country.
Andrea Dalzell BSN, RN, has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis as a registered nurse in New York City, and is one of only a few wheelchair-using nurses in the country. She became a nurse in 2018, even learning to box in order to build up the strength to administer CPR. Dalzell was recently featured in the Raw Beauty Project, a New York arts project celebrating women with disabilities and educating viewers to redefine perceptions and beauty. She has been featured in Apple Watch commercials demonstrating some of the device’s accessibility features. Dalzell received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Biology, as well as her nursing degree, at the CUNY College of Staten Island, where she was awarded CUNY’s Emerging Leader of the Year Award. She also won the Cindy Loo Disability Rights Advocate Award in 2015 and was crowned Ms. Wheelchair New York in 2015.
Reveca Torres is an artist and nonprofit director in Chicago. In 2009, she founded BACKBONES, a nonprofit organization that connects people with SCI to their communities. Through her work with BACKBONES, Torres has proven that activities like yoga, photography, theatre, and fashion design can be made accessible to people of all abilities with the proper support from peers and institutions. Torres is also the co-director of ReelAbilities Film Festival Chicago and has curated touring photography and art exhibitions that showcase the work of people with disabilities and bring awareness to disability rights. Torres uses painting, illustration, photography, film, movement, and other media as a form of expression as a tool for advocacy and social justice. She was also named New Mobility’s 2015 Person of the Year.
Good Morning America recently ran a segment about Andrea receiving the award, which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB_wo6dzq0A.
The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation has also published a clip of Kym Eisner, Executive Director of the Neilsen Foundation, in conversation with Reveca: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_4JXzSkig.
“As our inaugural recipients demonstrate, the Prize casts a wide net with the goal to recognize and award individuals in a variety of professional fields. Researchers, artists, athletes, activists, caregivers, or anyone else who has a proven track record for making the world a better place for individuals with spinal cord injury, are all potential recipients,” said Eisner.
To identify ideal candidates, the Foundation anonymously solicited nominations from experts that have the breadth and depth of experience to ensure that a diverse group of nominees was identified. We also appointed a Selection Committee that helped Foundation staff evaluate the pool of incredibly talented people that were nominated.
United Spinal is grateful for the continued commitment of the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation to support the SCI community and our mission.
To learn more, visit https://chnfoundation.org/craig-h-neilsen-visionary-prize/.