P2O Gala 2023

Power to Overcome 2023 – A Night to Remember

A big thank you from Sheltering Arms to everyone involved for making our celebration one to remember! P2O was a night filled to capacity with patients, caregivers, team members, volunteers, donors, and community members. All were there celebrating the Power to Overcome!

The event featured Jordan Erisman, who was with Sheltering Arms Institute as an inpatient and outpatient before continuing his recovery with the Sheltering Arms PowerEx program. This video, which takes you through his journey, was shared at the event.

The evening closed with George Rose telling his rehabilitation story and then singing a song he wrote during music therapy with Audrey Weatherstone, a music therapist at the Institute. In response to the standing ovation he received, George stood up from his wheelchair to applaud the audience!

Proceeds from the evening will be used to help eligible patients and caregivers access assistive technologies and other resources after discharge. Thank you again, especially to our amazing sponsors, for an evening of inspiration and gratitude.

You Can Still Help!

Support the Power to Overcome Fund to assist patients and caregivers in need with resources to enhance quality of life as they leave Sheltering Arms Institute. The fund may help cover such things as out-of-pocket costs for power wheelchair batteries, “sip and puff” or other assistive technologies, medication, and other items that increase independence for individuals who could not otherwise afford them.

Highlights From The Evening

Featured Speaker

In June 2022, Jordan, his girlfriend, and some friends were caving and exploring a remote area in West Virginia when the ground beneath Jordan collapsed causing him to fall a total of 90 ft. He was helicoptered to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Jordan sustained multiple traumatic injuries, including a T8, Grade A spinal cord injury meaning that he was paralyzed from the waist down.

He spent one month at Sheltering Arms Institute for inpatient rehabilitation where he utilized various bodyweight support technologies and learned new skills such as transferring into and properly maneuvering his wheelchair. Upon graduating from inpatient, Jordan completed outpatient therapy at Sheltering Arms Institute’s Hanover Outpatient Center before continuing to build his strength and confidence through the physician-referred exercise program, PowerEx, at Sheltering Arms.

Today, Jordan is back to work as a program manager for the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and is an active Sportable athlete. He has inspired many with his positive, can-do attitude and is a true example of finding the Power to Overcome saying, “We cannot decide the circumstances which befall us, but we can choose what to make of them.”