There are so many nonprofits doing good work on behalf of amputees that it seems impossible to keep track of them all. But we’re going to try anyway. Every week we’ll highlight one organization or person that’s out there trying to make life better for amputees. This week’s Worthy Cause: the Range of Motion Project, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this weekend with a free virtual celebration (RSVP here).
Name: Range of Motion Project (ROMP)
Founder: Born with congenital limb difference, David Krupa became an LBK amputee at age one and grew up with outstanding prosthetic care in the Chicago suburbs. He wound up becoming a certified prosthetist, and his studies included volunteer work with amputees in Haiti and Ecuador. Those experiences impressed upon Krupa how lucky he’d been to have such great care, and they inspired him to help the thousands of amputees in low-income communities around the world whose lives are constrained by lack of access to prosthetic technology and expertise. He and fellow prosthetist Eric Neufeld established ROMP in 2015. Krupa now lives in Ecuador full-time and operates ROMP’s clinic there.
What they do: ROMP operates prosthetic care clinics for underserved amputees in Guatemala, Ecuador, and the United States. The organization also partners with local health practitioners in the communities it serves, while advocating for better health care in general and prosthetic care in particular. And it sponsors an annual fundraising climb of Cotopaxi, one of the world’s highest volcanic mountains.
In Krupa’s own words: “I grew up going to a prosthetist since I was a baby. I never meditated on how useful this was in my life. While studying prosthetics, I became acutely aware of a frightening fact: Most amputees in the world cannot access prosthetic care and are disabled not because they are missing a limb but, rather, because they are missing a prosthesis. ROMP envisions a world where every amputee can access the best quality prosthetic care, empowering them to lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives.”
Get involved: This weekend’s quinceañera is a great way to get introduced to ROMP, if you’re not already familiar with them. You can also convert your hiking/biking/running mileage into support for ROMP through the Moving for ROMP campaign. Or you can (co-)sponsor one of the members of ROMP’s elite climbing team, which will ascend Cotopaxi next September to raise money and awareness for prosthetic care.
Make a donation: https://www.rompglobal.org/donate/.
Connect with ROMP: On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Other Worthy Causes:
Right to Walk Foundation
Steps of Faith Foundation
Born to Run Foundation
Move for Jenn Foundation
Jordan Thomas Foundation
Limbitless Solutions
Forrest Stump
Penta Prosthetics
Ayúdame3D
Less Leg More Heart
Looking for the Helpers (July/August 2020 issue of Amplitude)