September 9, 2007
LOGAN GOMEZ WINS FIRST CAREER INDY PRO SERIES RACE
Press Release from Sam Schmidt Motorsports

JOLIET, Ill. – Sunday saw the closest finish in Indy Pro Series history as Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver Logan Gomez edged out teammate, 2007 Indy Pro Series Champion, Alex Lloyd, by 0.0005 seconds. No other race sanctioned by the Indy Racing League has had a closer margin of victory.The win is Gomez’s first in his Indy Pro Series career....   more→

September 8, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT TO RECEIVE 2007 CURE AWARD
A note from Ida Cahill, President & CEO of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation

I want to share some very exciting news with you.On September 9th, Sam Schmidt will receive a very prestigious award in Chicago from “Rally for the Cure” honoring him for all his work on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries, paralysis and other disabilities. It’s a wonderful honor and Sam is so pleased, as am I.It is gratifying to see the persistent efforts of SSPF and Sam Schmidt acknowledged in this important way....   more→

September 7, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION TO HOST DAY AT RACES AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Sam SchmidtMotorsports will be hosting several guests as a part of its "Day at theRaces" program on Saturday, September 8th, at 12 p.m. in the PatronSpirits/Racing Hospitality Tent. The event, sponsored by the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, ChicagolandSpeedway, United Medical Providers, Quickie, and Patron Spirits and Racing,will include a catered lunch courtesy of Patron Racing Hospitality, speechesfrom the foundation's president, Ida Cahill, and founder, Sam Schmidt, and atour of the paddock area of the Chicagoland Speedway....   more→

September 5, 2007
Stem Cell Summit!
Reprinted from Americans for Cures newsletter

The Stem Cell Summit (on October 2-3, in Boston, Massachusetts) promises to be a veritable cornucopia of scientific and political information. Produced by great friend of the movement Bernard Siegel of the Genetics Policy Institute (GPI), the Summit brings together GPI, The Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and the same Burrill and Company who put on the outstanding Stem Cell Meeting earlier this year....   more→

September 5, 2007
State of Stem Cell Advocacy Forum
Reprinted from Americans for Cures newsletter

Americans for Cures Foundation is partnering with Michael J. Fox to create the first annual national forum on stem cell research issue advocacy. The State of Stem Cell Advocacy Forum 2007, to be held at the UCSF Mission Bay Community Center in San Francisco on November 10th & 11th, will provide stem cell research activists from around the country with the tools they need to make their voices heard....   more→

August 10, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION TO HOST DAY AT RACES AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Sam SchmidtMotorsports will be hosting several guests as a part of its "Day at theRaces" program on Friday, August 10th, at 1 p.m. in the Andretti GreenRacing hospitality tent at the Kentucky Speedway. The event, sponsored by United Medical Providers, Kentucky Speedway, andAndretti Green Racing, will include a catered lunch courtesy of AGR,speeches from the foundation's president, Ida Cahill, and founder, SamSchmidt, and a tour of the paddock area of the Kentucky Speedway....   more→

July 12, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION TO HOST DAY AT RACES IN NASHVILLE

The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and Sam Schmidt Motorsports will be hosting several guests as a part of its “Day at the Races” program on Friday, July 13th, at 1 p.m. in the Andretti Green Racing hospitality tent at the Nashville Superspeedway.The one-hour event will include a catered lunch courtesy of Andretti Green Racing, speeches from the foundation’s president, Ida Cahill, and founder, Sam Schmidt, and a tour of the paddock area of the Nashville Superspeedway....   more→

July 3, 2007
BLOOD CLOTTING PROTEIN MAY INHIBIT SPINAL CORD REGENERATION
Research Update

A note from Ida Cahill, CEO, Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation: Following is a report from Katerina Akassoglou, Ph.D. who is one of the researchers SSPF has helped to support. New and exciting promises are occurring each and every day and Dr. Akassoglou’s work is an example of the progress being made in uncovering the mysteries surrounding spinal cord injuries....   more→

June 9, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT AND ALEX LLOYD LAUNCH PLEDGE DRIVE
Press Release from Sam Schmidt

Sam Schmidt Motorsports and driver Alex Lloyd announced today the “Racing for Recovery Challenge,” a pledge drive to take place leading up to next weekend’s United States Grand Prix Liberty Challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.The team is offering a unique opportunity for companies and individuals to sponsor a race car with all proceeds going towards Sam Schmidt’s Paralysis Foundation....   more→

June 8, 2007
Big News on Two Fronts
Reprinted from Stem Cell Action Network

1- Researchers in Japan reported that they were able to turn mice skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent means that they have the same characteristics as embryonic cells, the ability to develop into a wide variety of cell types. (Adult stem cells do not have this ability.) Two American teams have now replicated this research, so there is no question of the validity of the claim....   more→

May 20, 2007
FOUNDATION IS RACING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Reprinted from the INDIANAPOLIS STAR

INDIANAPOLIS STARSUNDAY, MAY 20, 2007By Susan GuyettFOUNDATION IS RACING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCESam Schmidt told guests at the eighth annual Racing to Recovery gala Monday that donations to his foundation are making a difference. “I’m more convinced now than ever that I’m going to walk someday and there are going to be thousands of people with me,” the former racecar driver said....   more→

May 16, 2007
California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 71!
reprinted from

Time to Celebrate!!Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 71! This afternoon, Wednesday, May 16th, the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a lower court decision in favor of the California Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee, which was created through the voter-approved Proposition 71.This decision frees the $3 billion in funding for stem cell research that has been stalled over the last 30 months by opponents' frivolous legal challenges....   more→

May 14, 2007
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL RACING TO RECOVERY GALA

On May 14, 2007, The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation held its Eighth Annual Racing to Recovery Gala in Indianapolis.Over 400 people joined in the evening’s festivities, bidding on live and silent auction packages that included extreme racing experiences, racing memorabilia, vacations, artwork, jewelry, and much, much more....   more→

May 4, 2007
SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION GEARS UP FOR GALA

Just 10 days remain before the eighth annual “Racing to Recovery Gala,” a benefit for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, at Eddie Merlot’s in Indianapolis.The annual event, with its founding sponsors Laura and Tony George, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the IndyCar Series, brings the racing community together to help raise funds for spinal cord research, rehabilitation, and recovery....   more→

April 28, 2007
MR. SCHMIDT GOES TO WASHINGTON

Members of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation spent a busy few days in Washington, D.C., as founder, Sam Schmidt, and President, Ida Cahill, took part in the Unite 2 Fight Paralysis’ “Working 2 Walk 2007” event from April 22nd to April 24th. Immediately after, Cahill was an invited guest of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to be a part of their paralysis task force meeting that took place through the 26th....   more→

April 12, 2007
Senate Bill 5, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, Passed
A message from American for Stem Cell Therapies and Cures

Senate Bill 5, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, passed: 63 to 34. Three supporters of the research did not vote. This is an overwhelming display of bipartisan support for this bill. The next step is for the House and the Senate to work out the differences between S 5 and HR 3 (the version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives in January) in Conference....   more→

April 8, 2007
Important Issue for Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation To be Addressed
Contact your Senator!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kaaveh AkbariMobile: (317) 727-6957Email: kaaveh@kaavehakbari.comIMPORTANT ISSUE FOR SAM SCHMIDT PARALYSIS FOUNDATION TO BE ADDRESSEDNote: The following is an excerpt from the S5 Action Alert distributed by “Americans for Cures.” Their website can be found at www.americansforcures.org.This coming Monday, April 10, Senators in Washington will debate Senate Bill Five (S5), the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007....   more→

April 2, 2007
Relaxing ride with no barriers
Sam Schmidt, a quadriplegic, needed a wheelchair-accessible boat, and captain Mick Nealey came through for a tranquil cruise

BY SUSAN COCKINGscocking@MiamiHerald.comAfter his team's mixed result at Homestead Miami Speedway last weekend, the president of Sam Schmidt Motorsports decided to take some badly needed R & R on the water in Key Largo.But taking a boat ride isn't as simple for Schmidt as for most people. A quadriplegic with no movement from the chest down since a 2000 racing accident, he needed a boat that is wheelchair-accessible....   more→

March 29, 2007
FORMER RACER, NOW QUADRIPLEGIC, TO VISIT PATIENTS AT VA HOSPITAL

Sam Schmidt, founder of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, and its President, Ida Cahill, will be visiting patients at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa this weekend as part of the foundation's efforts to support injured soldiers returning from war."The entire board of the foundation feels very strongly about providing support for the brave men and women of the Armed Services," Cahill said....   more→

February 28, 2007
Stem Cell News Update
Reprinted from newsletter dated 2/28/07

From: “Americans for Cures” 550 S. California Avenue | Suite 330 | Palo Alto, CA 94306(650) 812-9304 | (650) 833-0105 (fax) www.americansforcures.orgStem Cell News UpdateProposition 71 Upheld in CourtWe Won!!For the second time in less than a year, the courts upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 71.Since passage of Proposition 71, litigation challenging the Constitutionality of the Act and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the agency created to manage the project, has prevented the sale of bonds....   more→