The Ripples of Connection

Leaving the conference mirrored the moments when we say goodbye after a meaningful reunion dinner, or family holiday get-together, or celebration; filled with joy yet bittersweet in the farewell. You convene in such a meaningful and intentional time and space and then before you know it the goodbyes are taking place. As we all reflect, we appreciate the effort and commitment from the Amputee Coalition Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, presenters, and those who come alongside us to make this premier annual gathering so special. We also hope that you are still feeling the ripples of connection. While this conference took months and months to plan the days that we met seem to flash by and we thank the Amputee Coalition community that continues to show up, stay engaged, and give life to the vision, mission, and daily work that the coalition upholds. The few days we spend together are days that can be life-changing in the ways we support each other, open each other’s eyes to new perspectives, learn together, hear from the leading thought-invoking leaders, and speakers, continuing to build our knowledge and education, build long-lasting relationships, and commit to growing the community. Thank you! Thank you for the encouraging words, volunteerism, peer visitor support, support group leadership, year-round connection to new community members, and for helping us grow the community as we continue to represent the 5.6 million people (about twice the population of Arkansas) in the US (United States) who are living with limb loss or limb difference. The ripples of connection are powerful, and you are a part of a coalition for good.

As you can imagine, we talked a lot about success and how we measure the Amputee Coalition’s growth. While our strategic five-year plan is an in-depth metric for how we do our work I want to encourage you all to know that you are a large part of the coalition’s success. Your commitment to stay engaged is what holds us together at the core reminding us that no one living with limb loss or limb difference is alone. Our mission is to support, educate, and advocate for people impacted by limb loss and limb difference, fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity in all aspects of our work and we celebrate how connection drives this mission, and the benefits of our work together can be felt nationwide. We have an effective voice at the local, state, and federal levels. Recently we have trained 192 certified peer visitors and recertified 213 Certified Peer Visitors with more than 806 peer visits annually. Our newest Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Young Adult virtual support groups continue to meet monthly in addition to the 300+ support groups we also engage with across the country offering advice, sharing resources, and celebrating connections. In support services from April to July, we have supported more than 2,957 new contacts from community members to family and even healthcare professionals. The Amputee Coalition team has opened and worked on over 8,861 direct support cases for community members. Since our last conference, we have welcomed 23 new healthcare partners, bringing our healthcare partners to 148.

Our Advocacy and Government Relations team sent emails to 43,960 advocates and with the commitment and advocacy work from our team and community, we gained 28 Governors to proclaim April 2024 as Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month. We also gained 48 new and committed certified lead advocates. We also celebrate the 8 states with So Every BODY Can Move laws that expand access to activity-specific orthotic and prosthetic devices. States include Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New Mexico. The ripples of connection are happening.

The Amputee Coalition workforce development program currently has 130 Adult, Veteran, and Youth (ages 15-17) participants registered with the Amputee Coalition Workforce Development Program and 21 employment council members on our Employment Council. Our Youth participants are fresh off the July 2024 Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp that took place at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Texas taking our gathering back to a traditional camp setting.

While we are the only national nonprofit with an exclusive mission to serve the limb loss and limb difference community, we know the ripples of connection will carry us far as we move forward.
We thank you for your trust as we provide vital resources, education, and support to those who need us most and continue making impactful ripples throughout the world.

Please stay connected with the Amputee Coalition at Amputee.Coalition.org and all our AC social media platforms and join AC Connect the premier online community for connecting the limb loss and limb difference community.