Courage Center Names 2008 Phillips Award Winners

New this year: Phillips Caregiver Award

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Minneapolis-based Courage Center, a
nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center, is pleased to announce the
recipients for the 2008 Jay and Rose Phillips Awards. The awards are presented
each year by Courage Center to people with disabilities who have achieved
outstanding vocational and community success. New this year is the Caregiver
Award, which acknowledges and honors a behind-the-scenes caregiver vital to
the success of a person with a disability. Each winner receives a $2,000 cash
award and will be recognized at the Medtronic Celebration of Courage Gala, on
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, at the Depot in Minneapolis.
This year's Phillips Award recipients are (photos are available upon
request):
PHILLIPS EMPLOYMENT AWARDS
Tim Benjamin, St. Paul, Minn., Editor and Executive Director, Access Press
Since 2001, Tim Benjamin has been editor and executive director of Access
Press, a monthly newspaper dedicated to issues of importance to Minnesota's
disability community. He is a role model, leader and advocate for people with
disabilities. Tim serves and has served on a number of boards and committees,
including: the St. Paul Mayor's Committee on People with Disabilities, the
Qwest Consumer Advisory Panel, the board of Access for All and the AXIS
Healthcare Advisory Board. For two consecutive terms he served as the
Chairperson of the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living. Tim is active
in the Minnesota Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD) and is a
member of the Minnesota Business Leadership Network, an employer organization
with a commitment to hiring people with disabilities. A 1974 diving accident
left Tim a quadriplegic. Tim, his wife Lynda and their dog, Feivel, live in
St. Paul'sComo Park neighborhood.
James Mastro, Ph.D., Bemidji, Minn., Professor, Professional & Physical
Education, Bemidji State University
Mastro lost his vision while in high school, but hasn't let that stop him
from accumulating an impressive teaching, coaching and athletic resume. He was
the first person in the nation with a visual impairment to earn a Ph.D. in
physical education. He is the author or coauthor of 53 articles and has made
31 national and international presentations on adapted physical education.
Mastro competed in seven Paralympics, medaling in four different sports,
earning 10 medals. He was also an alternate in Greco Roman wrestling for the
1976 Olympics. He recently received the Medal of Courage from the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is the founder and director of the Northern Plains
Visions of Sport Camp, which serves students with visual impairments. Mastro
has coached wrestling and judo for a variety of schools and camps. Currently,
he is a board member of the US Association of Blind Athletes, and National
Beep Baseball Association, as well as a faculty advisor to the Bemidji Judo
Club. Mastro lives in Bemidji with his wife Cheryl and son Paul. His daughter,
Amber, lives in Rogers, Minn.
Eric Rasmussen, Waterloo, Iowa, Self-employed, Valley Orthopedic Sales
Being a self-employed salesman is not the easiest way to make a living.
It's even more of a challenge when you're dealing with a disability like
Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (MD). But that's just what Eric Rasmussen does.
A 1989 Health Studies graduate of Kirkwood Community College, Rasmussen worked
as an orthopedic physician assistant from 1989 to 2005. At the age of 34, he
was diagnosed with MD. As the physical demands of his job became too
challenging, he transitioned into medical sales. According to his nominator,
"Eric shows people on a daily basis that his disability will not stand in his
way of working or living his life to the fullest ... " In addition to his job,
Rasmussen is a key leader in the group ministry program at Cedar Valley
Community Church. Eric and his wife Lori live in Waterloo, Iowa, with their
daughters, Kelsey, 11, and Makayla, 7.
PHILLIPS CAREGIVER AWARD
Greg Salyers, Minneapolis
For Greg Salyers, caring for Steve Erickson wasn't simply a job. It became
part of his life and flourished into a deep and rich friendship. According to
Steve's sister Tracy Anderson, "The day Steve was paralyzed was
heart-breaking, but without the care and friendship of Greg Salyers ...
Steve's life could have been very tragic. Steve survived the first three years
after his accident. Steve LIVED the last 15 years with Greg's help." Others
who witnessed their partnership say that Greg and Steve "brought out the best
in each other. They were so well known together that you never saw Greg
without Steve. They became such a team that you knew if Greg was around, Steve
was with him." Said another: "Once in a while you see people that have careers
that are in total 'flow' with their natural gifts. Greg is such a person ...
He provided hope, belief and created a 'normal' life for Steve. I will forever
be grateful for Greg's presence in Steve's life." Sadly, Steve isn't on hand
to witness Greg's award: on March 1, 2008, at age 44, "he suddenly and
peacefully passed away in his sleep."
About Courage Center
Courage Center is a Minneapolis-based rehabilitation and resource center
that advances the lives of children and adults experiencing barriers to health
and independence. At Courage Center, we specialize in treating brain injury;
spinal cord injury; stroke; chronic pain; autism; and disabilities experienced
since birth. Founded in 1928, Courage Center is a nonprofit organization
offering advanced technologies and innovation provided in part through the
efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors. For more information, visit
http://www.CourageCenter.org.
About the Phillips Awards
The Phillips Awards are made possible by a grant from the Jay and Rose
Phillips Family Foundation and is open to residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa and North and South Dakota whose physical disability is of such severity
that successful employment during the last three years represents a
significant accomplishment. Nominees also must be vocationally and financially
independent. Self-employed individuals and employers also are eligible.
Additional factors such as attitude, leadership, character and community
involvement will also be considered in selecting the award recipients. For
more information on the Phillips Family Foundation visit
http://www.phillipsfnd.org.
CONTACT: Sue Warner, communications manager
Courage Center, 763-520-0263, sue.warner@courage.org

SOURCE Courage Center

Sue Warner, communications manager of Courage Center, +1-763-520-0263,
sue.warner@courage.org