QL+

Iwo Jima

2012-02-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Some images are so impactful that they enter the cultural awareness and become iconic. Think Marilyn Monroe on a subway vent, a sailor celebrating VJ day by planting a kiss on a nurse in Times Square, or a group of fatigued US soldiers raising the American flag at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

Today is Iwo Jima Day. Although the Marines landed on Iwo Jima some five days earlier, it was on February 23, 1945, that Joe Rosenthal, an Associated Press photographer, captured the moment when a group of American servicemen raised the Star Spangled banner atop the peak of Mount Suribachi.

After the rapid fall of the Philippines, the Marines targeted the small island of Iwo Jima partly because it was about halfway between Japan and the Mariana Islands (where US bombers were based), and partly because it was a Japanese monitoring station, capable of sending advance radio warnings of incoming threats back to mainland Japan. The battle to take control of Mount Suribachi was key to conquering Iwo Jima, as it was the central vantage point for the whole island.

So when Rosenthal, a 33-year old who had been rejected by the Army as a photographer because of poor eyesight, heard that the American flag was finally being raised on top of Suribachi that day, he began the arduous scramble up the 546-foot dormant volcano to capture the moment for posterity.

He was about halfway up the mountain when he got the news that the flag had already been raised. He was too late.

Undaunted, Rosenthal continued his trek to the peak, determined instead to snap a picture of the American flag flying there. When he reached the top, he found a second group of US servicemen – five US Marines and a Navy corpsman – attaching a flag to a piece of piping. It was this group that Rosenthal memorialized in his famous photograph.

While awarding Rosenthal a posthumous DSM in 2006, US Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter described how the photo “immortalized the American Fighting spirit during World War II and became an everlasting symbol of service and sacrifice, transcending art and the ages.”

It’s true. Three of the men featured in the image were killed in combat within a few short weeks of the triumphant moment. The others, including Rosenthal himself, are long gone too.

But his photo lives on: lest we forget.

Thanks a Bunch!

2012-02-13T08:43:00.005-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Tomorrow is February 14^th. February 14^th is Valentine’s Day. Tomorrow is February 14^th, which means tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

OK, now we’ve got the reminders for the guys (and forgetful girls!) out of the way …

Flowers, chocolates, candy, cards; they’re all traditional tokens of love that we give to our near and dear ones every year in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Candy, chocolate and cards were all linked to Valentine’s Day by manufacturers of these items in the nineteenth century. However, no-one seems to be really clear about why or how flowers became associated with this day. The only tenuous link I could find online was between pagan festivals of fertility that were held at this time of the year, in preparation for spring, and flowers as a symbol of fertility, love and rebirth.

Obviously there's hundreds of years' worth of association between flowers and February 14th.So you’d think flowers would be a no-brainer as a Valentine’s Day gift, right?

Wrong! Each flower has a different meaning. So unless you’re careful, you could be sending completely the wrong message to your loved one without knowing it. Yellow carnations? They mean “You’re a disappointment”. Hydrangeas? "You’re frigid!" Lettuce? "You’re cold-hearted" – although who exactly would send someone a lettuce for Valentine’s Day?!

This started me thinking about what a bouquet would look like if I tried to use flowers to symbolize the QL+ program.

For our servicemen and women, there’d be agrimony (that’s the image for this blog because I didn’t know what agrimony looked like either!) to represent thankfulness, daffodils to show respect, ivy to reflect their endurance, and oak leaves to reflect their strength.

For our students, there would be a bumblebee orchid because that signifies industry and the hard work and dedication that these young people put into each project. Plus there’d be cherry blossom, which stands for a good education.

For QL+ itself, there would be irises and some small white Stars of Bethlehem to signify the good news and hope our Program offers to those with service-related injuries. Our innovations can help improve the lives of active-duty and Veteran military members, first responders and other public servants injured in service to our country and our community. There would also be hollyhocks, to reflect our ambition/mission to improve the quality of life of all those injured in the line of duty.

Last but not least, there would be Canterbury bells to express gratitude - for our wounded warriors, for our students and for QL+ and what we achieve.

By the way: for the purposes of this blog, I used the flower definitions listed on Wikipedia. Just to confuse matters, different websites list different meanings and different flowers! All things considered, you might just want to go with a box of chocolates! Regular readers will know that’s what I’m hoping for!

If I get a lettuce ... well, let's just say, love will NOT be in the air. Maybe some thrown cups and plates though! (I'm kidding!)

Boys really DO play with dolls!

2012-02-01T09:58:00.011-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

February 1 was GI Joe Day!

The action figures (NOT dolls, thank you very much!) were first introduced to the American public in 1964 by Hasbro. They initially came in four different designs – the action soldier, action sailor, action pilot and action marine. The original prototypes even had names! There was “Skip" the sailor, "Ace" the pilot, and "Rocky" the marine/soldier - who, strangely, bore no resemblance whatsoever to Sylvester Stallone. But then again, Sylvester Stallone doesn’t bear much resemblance to Sylvester Stallone any more either!

However, it wasn’t long before Hasbro adopted a more universal name for the poseable figures: G.I. (for ‘Government Issue’) Joe. Additional characters were added to the line as time went on, including action nurse, plus a storyline that involved GI Joe’s struggles to defeat the evil Cobra Command. GI Joe was soon starring in his own comic book, animated TV series and movies!

Despite their kung-fu grip and eagle eye vision, however, the jointed figures were somewhat prone to limb loss - but only when my brother refused to let his GI Joe marry my Barbie and a power struggle of epic proportions would ensue, with each of us refusing to relinquish our grip on poor Joe’s arm or leg!

If he was he still around today, though, an amputee GI Joe figure might be a realistic addition to the franchise. From 2009 to 2010, there was a 178% increase in U.S. military injuries as a result of IED use[1], which equates to 3,360 new wounded warriors in one year alone. Of these, around 200 involved amputations. These individuals need dedicated help to overcome the issues associated with their injuries and achieve their full potential – at work, at home and at play.

Visit our website and see how QL+ supports these brave men and women.

And if you happen to have a prototype GI Joe, consider auctioning it off and donating some or all of the proceeds to QL+; the last prototype, sold in 2003, went for more than $200,000. He might not be a true super hero, but that’s an awful lot of real-life service men and women that could be helped by GI Joe right there!

[1] Whitlock, Craig. "IED Casualties in Afghanistan Spike." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 06 May 2011. .

Some plumb good ideas to holler about!

2012-01-24T09:39:00.002-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

In celebration of ‘Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day’ today...

Howdy folks! ‘Tis Rowdy Dunn here! Dagnabbit, when a feller (or a gal, God bless ‘er!) done gone lose his or her legs or arms, now I figger that’s just a doggone shame – unless I bring to mind Stumpy McGinnis, who was just gosh-darned careless and lost his leg when his moonshine-muddled mind figgered the fuse on that dynamite to be five feet more’n it was!

No, I be talkin’ about them that are braver ‘n’ all of us – even me and my buddy, Big Bear, who chisel the rocks outta them thar hills with our bare hands mornin’, noon and night in search of somethin’ more ‘n fools gold.
No, I be talkin’ about our brave service men and women, who’d face down Ol’ Brown the rattlesnake (or that doggone villainous curmudgeon, Osama bin Laden and his infernal snakebit followers) with nary a blink of an eye.

They don’t need a whole heap of wailing and caterwauling, or a’hootin’ and a’hollering’, about the sitchiation in which they find themselves. What they really need is help.

And that’s exackerly what them kind QL+ folks in good Ol’ Virginie are all about. I done heard that they’re inventing all sorts of newfangled whatjamecallits in nearby San Luis Obispo to help our brave heroes. Things like special knives so’s they can cut their bread and spread their butter, chairs with wheels on ‘em that’ll climb mountains, and even prosthetic legs to help ‘em ice skate – although why anyone’d want ter ice skate is beyond me. I’s had me enough of snow ‘n’ ice to last me a lifetime up there in the Klondike in '88.

I says as those QL+ folks must be down-right smart! Not like Crazy Caleb Campbell and his daft ideas about carriages with no horses attached on ‘em, Apples that tell the time and the weather, and other such ridickerlous cockermamie notions!

WWW dot - The Wide World of our Website

2012-01-18T08:33:00.003-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

As a user, you probably haven’t noticed much difference, but QL+ recently rebuilt our website from the ground up! We’ve also worked hard to update our other online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and our blog – but that’s a whole other blog topic!

The changes to the QL+ website were driven by a need to transfer the whole site to a new CMS (that’s Content Management System to all you non-geeks!). However, the move gave us the chance to make some exciting changes across the whole site – from reading our latest testimonials, to a whole photo album of pictures from the Veterans Day BBQ 2011.

In this digital age, our website is probably our most important communication tool. It’s the first point of contact for new supporters, giving us a chance to tell them about who we are, what we do and how they can help. It’s also the go-to place for our loyal supporters (that’s you!), featuring all our latest news, as well as a quick and easy option for donating online.

Here are some of the exciting things you can do on our updated website:

Watch an embedded video about ‘Fighting for Life’, the sobering documentary that was the original inspiration behind QL+
Link directly to our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog via the icons on our homepage – except you’ve probably already done that if you're here, reading this!
Check our Event Calendar to see what's coming up next for QL+ staff, students and challengers
Sign up for our email list and get your own copy of the QL+ Quarterly direct to your inbox every three months!
Perhaps, most importantly, make a donation. We now use PayPal, which is fast and easy. Or you can mail us a check, which means that even more of your money goes towards funding projects at the QL+ Lab, where students and faculty develop innovations to help our nation’s wounded warriors achieve their full potential – at work, at home and at play.

So don’t delay, check out our new website TODAY!

New Year Resolutions

2012-01-11T11:24:00.003-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

OK, we’re a week and a half into the New Year. Hands up who made New Year resolutions? Now hands up if you have kept them. Anyone? Someone?? Surely ... one of you … really?! Already??!

Well, if you need some inspiration or simply haven’t gotten around to it yet, here are some suggestions – although if you haven’t gotten around to it yet, perhaps “I will not procrastinate” might be a good place to start!

Learn something new – QL+ can help with this New Year Resolution! Take a tour of our website and you’ll learn all sorts of interesting things about who we are, who we help and how we do it. Check out the amazing innovations students at the QL+ Lab are working on via our project pages. Read about the inspiration behind our 501(c)(3) organization. Or hear from our supporters in their own words on the Testimonials page.

Help others – QL+ can help with this one too! There are lots of ways you can help QL+ to help our nation's heroes, but the quickest and easiest is to make an online donation. The money you give is tax deductible and it’ll help us achieve our mission – engineering an improved quality of life for those who have served.

Keep in touch – We can even help with this one! At least, we can help you keep in touch with QL+. It’s easy! Check our website regularly for our latest news and upcoming events. Sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Or maybe do all four!

Be a better person – While we can’t help you quit smoking, quit drinking or get fit, if you do all the above, QL+ will definitely have helped with this one too!

So what are you waiting for?! Get organized – that’s a bonus one!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to work on one of my own New Year resolutions … eating less chocolate – at least on days that don’t have a ‘y’ in them, anyway!

Eleven From '11 - Plus One!

2011-12-30T08:02:00.003-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

2011 has been our most successful year yet! Here's a brief run-down of our highlights:

THE PEOPLE

We said hello to: superstar Robert de Niro, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator (and actor) Fred Thompson,
Captain James Howard, Dr. Lisa Maddox, Ce-Ce Mazyck, JJ Morowitz, and the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Team - to name but a few!
We said goodbye to: QL+ staffers Susanne Seward, Whitney Atkins & Nadia Shraibati. Sniff, sniff ...

THE PLACES:

We visited: New York City, NY: San Luis Obispo, CA (of course!); Pittsburgh, PA; San Diego, CA; Richmond, VA; San Antonio, TX; Reading, PA; Menlo Park, CA; and Snowmass, CO - amongst others!
We DIDN'T visit: (but these are REAL places!) Mousetown, MD; Looneyville, TX; Dull, OH, Scrabble, WV; or Coffee Creek, MT. Whynot (that's in Mississippi), I hear you ask?!

THE EVENTS:

We participated in: QL+ Veterans Day BBQ, McLean Day 2011, Department of Veterans Affairs Summer Sports Clinic, Wounded Warriors Polo Benefit, and the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
We benefited from: the Lance Vaccaro 'Never Give Up' Memorial Mortorcycle Cruise, the Detroit Half Marathon, the IICF 5th Annual Benefit Dinner, and the First Lady of Virginia's FLITE program.

Take a look at more fabulous photos from 2011 in this year's photo album and visit our website for more information on any of these topics.

Then join us in 2012 by becoming a donor, a supporter, an advocate, a sponsor or a volunteer!

The Seven Days of Christmas

2011-12-16T10:00:00.032-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Only seven days to Christmas – or 373 if you really like to plan ahead (2012 is a Leap Year!)! Here are some suggestions for these last few hectic days in the lead-up to December 25^th.

Dec 18: One week to go! Today’s suggestion – don’t panic! Hey, I didn’t say they would be USEFUL or SENSIBLE suggestions! Oh alright … make a donation to QL+. That’s both sensible AND useful.

Dec 19: Finish your online shopping with Amazon – this is their last day for standard shipping. With the money you save on shipping, you can make a donation to QL+.

Dec 20: Make sure you’ve sent all your cards. Today is USPS’s last day for mailing first class cards, letters … and mailed donations to QL+!

Dec 21: Don’t forget to start defrosting your turkey, if you’re having one. Allow 1 day per five pounds of bird. Refrigerator thawing is recommended. And don’t forget to donate to QL+! Donations made before December 31, 2011 will be matched by our Chairman, Jon Monett!

Dec 22: Last chance for some Thursday night football. Indianapolis Colts play Houston Texans at home (Lucas Oil Stadium). Before the game, RUSH to dig into your POCKET and help QL+ achieve its GOAL by making us the ELIGIBLE RECEIVER of your donation!

Dec 23: Do any last-minute grocery shopping; the store will be chaos tomorrow! Try early in the morning or late at night if you have the option. Use coupons from sites like www.couponmom.com or www.smartsource.com. Then send the money you save to QL+.

Dec 24: Track Santa as he travels the globe, delivering presents. And if you haven’t got the hint yet, make a donation to QL+ via our website and it’ll still reach us in time for Christmas!

And last but not least ...

Dec 25: Relax, rest and rejoice, knowing you did everything on this list. The food's cooked, the family's at the door, the presents are under the tree - and your donation to QL+ will help someone who was injured while protecting all of these things.

Giving can be FREE!!!

2011-12-08T07:56:00.008-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

As 2011 draws to a close, many of us will be hoping for a better 2012 – Kim Kardashian, Charlie Sheen and the Indianapolis Colts amongst others perhaps!

It’s been another tough year for the economy too. And that means it’s been a tough year for ordinary people like you and I. Fewer jobs, lower pay, higher gas prices, more bills …

Imagine what it’s like being a Veteran trying to transition back into the civilian workforce. Now imagine being an INJURED Veteran trying to transition back into the civilian workforce.

That’s why supporting QL+ is so important.

Our innovative solutions include a modification to enable those with limited mobility to operate big rigs, bulldozers and other heavy equipment – opening up new avenues of employment for wounded warriors. There’s a doorkeeper, to hold doors open for wheelchair users, allowing them improved access to workplace locations. There’s even a myoelectric computer mouse controller that allows arm amputees to operate a PC using muscles from their remaining limb; let’s face it, what kind of job doesn’t include operating a computer these days?

Of course, your financial donation to QL+ is vital. It helps to fund projects like these and other sat the QL+ Lab in San Luis Obispo, California. But there are other ways you can give to QL+ that won’t cost an arm and a leg:

Follow us on Facebook, tweet with us on Twitter, or sign up to read this blog. Recommend us to those you know, spread the word and encourage others to support us. Word of mouth is free!
The more grass roots support we have, the more voters we have when it comes to contests like AOL’s ‘Giving Good’ campaign and Pepsi Refresh. It doesn’t cost you anything to vote in these campaigns but it puts us in the running for much-needed financial support.
Volunteer to help at one of our events. Yes, time is money, but then again, it is called ‘free time’!

So you see, even when times are tough, giving to QL+ can be easy. Check out our website for all the ways you can support QL+!

And if you’re Oprah, Lady Gaga or Donald Trump and you’re reading this … times aren’t so tough, so please click here to make an online donation!

Donate before December 31 2011 and we'll match your donation!

A Real Life Happy Ending from QL+

2011-11-22T08:57:00.015-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Sometimes in life, all the stars seem to align just right and something amazing, something wonderful, something unforgettable happens.

Exactly that happened at our annual Veterans Day BBQ this year and I’ve been trying to decide whether to share the story or not ever since. Here at QL+, we are always mindful of honoring and protecting those who have served our country with courage.

Then I heard today’s headlines – including the latest fatalities and injuries in Afghanistan – and I thought that it’s definitely time for a feel-good story this Thanksgiving week. So here is a true real-life story with its very own happy ending.

Enjoy – and a happy Thanksgiving to all our supporters!

Chapter I: Various event sponsors unable to attend the QL+ Veterans Day BBQ 2011 generously offer their admission tickets to injured Veterans.

Chapter II: Chairman and Founder of QL+, Jon Monett, gives two of these tickets to injured Veteran, Jack, & his new wife, Jane*.(*While I’ve changed some of the names to protect privacy, the story remains no less remarkable and no less real.)

Chapter III: Meanwhile, Blanche Powell of HNL Getaways hears about QL+ from a mutual acquaintance. With a husband who’s retired AF and a son who served 4 years in the Marines, including 3 tours of Iraq, Blanche decides to support QL+ and to help make a difference in the lives of those injured in service to our country. Blanche offers QL+ an item for auction at our BBQ on Sunday November 6: one week’s accommodation at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic.

Chapter IV: QL+ supporters show up in force on a beautiful fall afternoon to meet, mingle & make merry at the QL+ Veterans Day BBQ – a fun-filled family event that inspires innovation and honors our nation’s heroes.

Chapter V: One of these supporters, Mary*, finds herself talking with Jack & Jane. During the chat, Mary discovers that, although recently married, the young couple has not yet had a honeymoon.

Hopefully you can see where this is going …

Chapter VI: Deeply touched by Jack’s love for his country and by the couple’s love for each other, despite the hand that life has dealt them, Mary bids & wins the destination holiday in our live auction – and promptly gives it to Jack and Jane as the honeymoon they never had.

So, thanks to Mary, thanks to QL+ and thanks to other generous donors who have offered to pay airfares & all other expenses, Jack & Jane are packing their suitcases and getting ready to jet off to the sunny Caribbean for an all-expenses paid vacation of a lifetime - literally!

Revving up for Women’s Motorcyle Month

2011-07-11T13:52:00.011-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Every July is Women’s Motorcyle Month. Although it’s traditionally a past-time more associated with men, it’s a fact that around 10% of the US riding population is actually comprised of women.

QL+ was recently the beneficiary of funds raised from the Lance Vaccaro ‘Never Give Up’ Memorial Motorcycle cruise.

This event celebrated the life of fallen Navy SEAL, Lance Vaccaro, who tragically lost his life in a parachute training accident. Lance lived his life with a persistence and determination that rarely went unrewarded; hence the ride’s name. Held in his hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania, on June 18, the day-long event included a display of classic cars, a band and various food vendors, plus a four-hour motorcycle cruise. QL+ is deeply grateful to Lance’s mother, Chris Vaccaro, uncle, Jim Hartman, and all the other family members and friends who worked tirelessly to make this event a success and to commemorate the life of a one of our fallen heroes.

Coincidentally, just a few days after the NGU ride took place, QL+ was contacted by a West Point graduate who is also a physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a competitive athlete. Dr. Lisa M. has an upper leg amputation, resulting from a neurovascular condition developed during her service in the US Army. And she wants to ride her motorcycle again!

Hopefully, come the new academic year in September, a team of students at the QL+ Laboratory, located on-campus at Cal Poly (California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California) will begin working on developing a specialized kickstand that will allow Lisa and others with lower limb impairment – both men and women – to once again feel the thrill of speed and cornering that’s associated with riding a regular motorcycle.

So get your motor running and join us for the ride of a lifetime – one that will improve the life of a woman who’s already sacrificed for her country, but who shouldn’t have to sacrifice her love of motorcycling.

Seeing is Believing

2011-04-22T08:16:00.008-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

There are all types and levels of blindness and visual impairment; from accidental loss of sight caused by injury, to the type of slow, creeping blindness related to eye diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

The good news for individuals suffering from the latter is that a California-based company, Second Sight, just received approval from the European Union to launch its groundbreaking bionic vision prosthetic worldwide. The Argus II is a complicated device but one that brings hope to the approximately 1.5 million people around the world who suffer from hereditary retinitis pigmentosa.

Basically, the individual wears a special pair of glasses, outfitted with a camera. A video processor converts the camera’s images of surroundings into electrical impulses that are sent to a radio transmitter. This device converts the impulses into radio waves, which are received by a retinal implant embedded in the individual’s eye. The 60 electrodes in the implant act as a ‘bionic retinal photoreceptor’, transmitting the image as neural impulses to the brain, which decodes the signal in the same way it would for sighted people.

The bad news is the cost. Each unit costs around $100,000, a price that’s well beyond the means of most blind or visually impaired individuals.

The QL+ Radar for the Blind Project isn’t quite as ambitious but nonetheless, should help mitigate some of the issues that those suffering sight loss experience every day. We currently have 11 teams of engineering students across the country – two at the QL+ Lab at California Polytechnic State University and nine at Chantilly High School in Virginia – researching and developing a radar-type system that will provide a wider scope and more detailed level of feedback than the traditional white cane. The device will be easy to use, lightweight, durable and have a long battery life. Best of all, it will be low in cost.

You can read more about this and other QL+ Projects on our website.

‘Joining Forces’ To Support Our Military

2011-04-14T12:39:00.010-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

This week, the White House announced a new initiative designed at encouraging every sector of American society to support our military families.

From offering a military spouse a job, to cooking a homemade dinner or helping with childcare, there’s plenty that we can all do to thank our military families for allowing their loved ones to fight for our freedom. Because, as Mrs. Obama stated in a speech earlier this week:

“…these families serve as well. Often we see the men and women in uniform and it's very clear to us the sacrifice they make. But we forget that when they go to war, so does their family…”

QL+ understands the sacrifices made by both the servicemen and women themselves and their family members; sacrifices that become especially evident when our military members return home with injuries sustained during combat; injuries that impact every aspect of daily life for the individuals concerned and for their families and friends.

That’s why our program creates innovative assistive devices to improve the quality of life of those injured in the line of duty, whether it’s at work, at home or at play.

Creating a custom design that allows an individual disabled military veteran to again participate in a favorite sport or leisure activity not only allows that person to enjoy treasured hobbies and interests; it also opens up an avenue to deepen bonds with family and friends who share the same pursuits.

Designing an assistive device like a portable wheelchair hoist that allows veterans in wheelchairs to transfer to seats in planes, cars or in the workplace, gives them the independence and physical freedom to travel, to enjoy outings with family and friends or by themselves (everyone needs some alone time!), and, most importantly, to return to paid employment. Having a job can help provide necessary family income, increase self-confidence and self-esteem, and encourage respect from others and from society as a whole.

In short, the QL+ Program is already supporting both military members and their loved ones. Join us now and do your part!

Self- Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

2011-03-04T08:54:00.006-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

That’s a bit of a mouthful, so the phrase was quickly shortened by its inventor to SCUBA.

Dr. Christian Lambertsen died last month, aged 93. He is commonly credited with being the inventor of modern-day dive equipment, or SCUBA.

An expert in respiratory physiology and dive-related issues, Dr. Lambertsen’s initial experiments as a medical student involved a rather scary-sounding combination of hoses, bicycle pumps, and carbon dioxide filters filched from the anesthesia department at Rutgers!

Thankfully, by 1939, Dr. Lambertsen had perfected his underwater diving apparatus, which he named the Lambertsen Amphibious Respirator Unit (LARU). It was bubble-less, self-contained and allowed divers to swim freely and silently.

The Navy promptly rejected the device. However, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the precursor of the CIA) saw the potential in the LARU and in the newly-qualified doctor too. Dr. Lambertsen joined the OSS maritime unit in 1943, training OSS divers and later, the Navy’s elite underwater demolition teams (early SEALs). He served in Burma during WWII and was awarded both the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Service Medal by OSS for his service to America. Throughout his career, Dr. Lambertsen continued to refine the LARU and the advanced version became known as SCUBA in 1952. It was so versatile that it was used by Navy special op units right up to the 1980s.

One of QL+’s most exciting projects this semester is in conjunction with SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled SCUBA), an organization that allows wounded warriors to enjoy the thrill of underwater diving. The QL+-sponsored student team at Cal Poly is already working to engineer a prosthetic limb that will not detach during swimming and that will offer improved propulsion efficiency – both serious problems for amputee divers.

We also have several other QL+ projects underway that will help our wounded warriors to enjoy leisure activities like diving:

There’s a gymnastic prosthetic leg for use by an 18-year old West Point cadet.

Our Blind Driver’s Challenge aims to allow the visually impaired to enjoy the thrill of driving, using a specially-adapted vehicle on a closed course.

The golf prosthesis for a double arm amputee was proposed by a Cal Poly professor and QL+ Faculty Advisor, whose specialization lies in sports research; particularly, golf dynamics.

We have three projects underway in collaboration with the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program. These projects will create specialized prosthetic legs for unilateral and bilateral amputees that will be able to withstand the rigors of ice hockey.

We also have two current projects – one to customize exercise shoes and the other to develop a sweat-resistant, mobile TENS unit – that will help a former Navy telecommunications operator to compete in the Paralympics 2012.

And if you’re a sports and fitness freak yourself, check out our QL+ RideABLE Tour 2011, a 3-day, 246-mile bike ride along the California coastline that will help raise vital money to fund these projects and similar ones.

Better than Root Canal Awareness Week!

2011-02-25T09:14:00.012-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

These days, there are awareness days, awareness weeks and even whole awareness months for all sorts of causes. Some of them are serious, like Mental Health Month in May and National Consumer Protection week in March. Some of them are not-so-serious, like Clam Chowder Day, or Garlic Mustard Awareness Month (that would be the invasive weed, not the stuff you buy in a jar at the grocery store!).

One of the more impressive awareness weeks ends today. National Engineers Week is a week of competitions and events organized annually around engineers and engineering. It highlights how engineering touches all aspects of our daily lives and one of its main goals is to encourage more young people to take up the challenge and become engineers.

Both issues are central to the QL+ mission.

Our multidisciplinary teams of senior-year and graduate-level engineering students at the QL+ Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo are, quite simply, creative geniuses. Using their newly-acquired skills, these remarkable young people work under the guidance of knowledgeable faculty advisors to design innovations that currently do not exist. The innovations they research and develop profoundly improve life for servicemen and women injured in the line of duty, allowing our nation’s heroes to live, work and play to their full potential.

Another focus of National Engineers Week is ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’. The importance of women in engineering is emphasized throughout the QL+ program:

Most of our QL+ Project teams include a good mix of both male and female engineering students. However, this semester, six of our projects have female team leaders.

Last October, we launched a pilot program with ‘Girls Exploring Engineering’ (GE²), an all-girls’ engineering program based at Chantilly Academy in Fairfax County, Virginia. In conjunction with Purdue University’s EPICS-High Program and with the support of the Fairfax County Public Schools system (the nation ‘s 12th largest school system), this new QL+ initiative brings the QL+ experience to the high school level. Eight teams of young female engineers are working on the QL+ ‘Radar for the Blind’ Project. The aim is to research and develop a system for the blind and visually impaired that offers a greater level and wider range of feedback than the traditional white cane.

Another of our most recently approved projects at Cal Poly – which is, incidentally, one of the most renowned Colleges of Engineering in the country – involves partnering with the Cal Poly chapter of SWE (Society of Women Engineers). QL+ is sponsoring a team in the Team Tech competition, an annual competition that emphasizes the role of multidisciplinary teamwork in the engineering education process. The objective of the QL+-sponsored team is to research and engineer a lower limb prosthesis that incorporates the leg lift required for an amputee missing one or both legs to climb a flight of stairs.

Last but not least, two of our QL+ innovations have, or will, directly benefit female recipients. The adaptive wheelchair allowed a young woman to once again enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities by developing a wheelchair that adapts between indoor and outdoor environments; while both the TENS machine and the exercise shoe modification are customized solutions for a female competitive athlete who previously served in the US Navy.

Take a look at our website for more information on our student teams and the innovative solutions they are developing.

Oh, and happy National Umbrella Month for March!

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Reality

2011-02-08T10:01:00.005-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

There are so many studies about video games and their effects on people – and most of them are negative.

For example, video games have been linked to obesity. If you’re sitting on the couch playing video games all day, it stands to reason you’re being less physically active; and being less physically active can lead to weight gain.

Researchers have shown that video gamers produce more dopamine, a chemical that acts on the brain and nervous system. This neurotransmitter affects learning and memory, mood, sleep patterns and many other brain and body functions.

Video games even appear to have a long-term negative physical effect on the human body. Some studies suggest that the stress of playing video games increases blood pressure and can even lead to an increased chance of developing hypertension (sustained high blood pressure) in the future.

So it’s interesting that the Department of Defense has just launched its own video game. The T2 Virtual PTSD Experience can be used on Second Life, an online virtual reality platform, and is designed to allow soldiers to learn about PTSD and recognize its symptoms and effects in an anonymous, virtual setting.

QL+ is also looking at ways that we can help active-duty and veteran military members experiencing PTSD. However, our main focus at the moment is addressing the physical everyday challenges faced by those wounded in service to our country or our communities. We currently have more than 15 projects underway at the QL+ Lab at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. From specialized sports prosthetics to a wheelchair safety brake, we’re busy researching and developing innovations that address issues as diverse as going for gold at the Paralympics 2012 to simply being able to climb a flight of stairs.

The reality is that wounded servicemen and servicewomen face all sorts of challenges every day. And every day, QL+ strives to help them live life to the fullest.

The Meaning of IEDs

2011-01-27T13:37:00.004-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

IED.

Improvised Explosive Device.

But it could just as well stand for Immediate Extensive Destruction or Instant Enduring Disability. Because that’s what it means for members of the US military who encounter these cowardly contraptions during active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Despite increasing the numbers of roadside bomb-clearing teams and using aerostats (helium-filled airships or blimps, outfitted with spy cameras that can track movement from 2,000 feet up or 20 miles away), Global Hawk drones and fertilizer-sniffing dogs, IED usage in Afghanistan still went up significantly last year.

What that means in real terms is that the number of servicemen and women killed and injured by IEDs in OEF surged in 2010. 268 individuals were killed – a 60% increase on 2009. If you need that number put in perspective, that’s almost as many soldiers as were killed in the last three years put together.

Those wounded by IEDs soared in 2010 too. There was a massive 178% increase in troops injured by IEDs in Afghanistan. In other words, 3,360 individuals became wounded warriors.

These are the people that QL+ helps.

Our projects include:

- devices like portable hoists to transfer wheelchair riders between seats, a table extension to prevent spilled food, and other innovative solutions for those facing the daily challenges of life with a service-related injury

- modifications to heavy machinery to help amputees, including veterans, to get back to work (our CAT 320CL and CAT D6R projects)

- specialized equipment to allow injured servicemen and women to enjoy their chosen sports (like our prosthetics for unilateral and bilateral amputees on the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Team, the mobile, sweat-resistant TENS machine for former Navy cryptologist and competitive athlete, Daphne Wright, or the recumbent bike for Rob Kelly, a former Navy demolition diver).

In other words, QL+ can help those injured by IEDs - our nation’s heroes - live, work and play to their full potential once again.

Thanks to your support of our mission, IED doesn’t need to mean Independence Ends Definitely anymore.

A Little Competition

2011-01-19T07:41:00.003-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Holding competitions to spur innovation isn’t a new idea.

Nicolas Apert won a hefty 12,000 francs, offered by Napoleon as a prize for anyone who could come up with a cheap and effective method of mass food preservation for the French military. Apert’s system is the foundation of modern canning processes.

If it hadn’t been for New York hotelier, Raymond Orteig, offering a $25,000 cash incentive to the first person to fly from New York City to Paris (or vice versa), Charles Lindbergh would never have made his famed transatlantic flight.

Last but not least, English clockmaker John Harrison became a very wealthy man when he invented the marine chronometer (a device for measuring longitude at sea) in 1773. His prize of £20,000, awarded by the British government, equates to around $4,500,000 in today’s terms!

As a not-for-profit, QL+ can’t offer cash incentives like these, but we certainly recognize the importance of a little healthy competition.

For example, in April last year, we sponsored an architectural competition to design eco-friendly, disabled-accessible residential accommodation. Injured veterans will live here while working on another QL+ project, the clearing and reforestation of a tract of land near Yosemite, California. You can read about the four student winners of this competition on our website.

And while one of the reasons behind our expansion to other universities besides California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is to provide our innovative technologies to more wounded warriors across the country, we also hope to spur a little friendly competition between college campuses.

Specific projects will be offered to universities depending upon their specializations; in other words, students will work on different projects exclusive to their particular college, depending on factors such as the fields of interest of faculty members or the availability of specialized equipment.

However, QL+ also plans to offer selected projects to several different colleges at the same time, in the hope that the spirit of competition will inspire even greater advances and innovations in prosthetics and other assistive devices to aid our nation’s injured heroes. This approach is already in operation with our ‘Radar for the Blind’ project. We currently have two student teams at Cal Poly, plus a number of high school student teams at Chantilly Academy, working simultaneously on this challenge, which aims to create a personal environmental feedback system for the blind and visually impaired.

And all I can say is, if you’re really interested in winning a QL+ competition, check out our Facebook page this coming Friday – January 21 - for a chance to win!

World Braille Day

2011-01-04T11:07:00.005-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Today we commemorate the birth of Louis Braille, born on January 4, 1809, in Coupvray, a small town near Paris, France. He’s the man responsible for inventing the coded language of dots that has provided millions of people suffering from vision loss with a method for independent reading, writing and learning over the last two hundred years.

Louis Braille became blind at age four, following an accident in his father's shoe-making shop. Although he was only blinded in one eye initially, infection soon set in and Louis eventually lost the sight in both eyes. Despite his vision loss, Louis was a gifted child and hard-working student. At age 10, he won a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris. It was here that he first encountered reading using raised letters. However, the letters were produced by pressing shaped copper wire onto a page, a complex and costly method that had numerous drawbacks. For a start, the blind couldn’t write anything themselves. Second, the books were expensive; the school possessed only three editions and Louis quickly read all of them. Last but not least, each book weighed more than 100lbs!

When Louis was 12, a French army captain called Charles Barbier de la Serre visited the school. Barbier de la Serre had been commissioned by Napoleon to invent a code for soldiers to read silently and in the dark. The code was deemed too difficult for soldiers to learn and was quickly rejected by the military. However, Louis Braille recognized the potential in Barbier de la Serre’s ‘Night Writing’ and had soon simplified the system from 12 raised dots to 6 dots per character. In 1824, at age 15, Louis had perfected the system and in 1829, he published the “Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged by Them”.

Louis Braille went on to become a teacher at the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, but he was never allowed to teach his reading system during his lifetime. So he never got to see the impact of his work on the blind and visually impaired. Today, Braille is the standard method of reading and writing for the blind and visually impaired. It’s used in almost every language around the world and its invention is recognized as perhaps the single most important advancement for the blind and sight-impaired, opening up new opportunities in terms of education, employment and independence.

Here at QL+, we’re also doing our part to improve the quality of life of those who are visually challenged.

One of our projects, the QL+ ‘Radar for the Blind’, will research and develop a radar-type system that provides a wider scope and more detailed level of feedback than the traditional white cane. The end result will offer improved upper body detection, plus real-time multi-directional feedback, as well as being easy to use, lightweight, durable, low in cost and having a long battery life.

Another QL+-sponsored project for the blind is the ‘Blind Driver’s Challenge’. Inspired by a current National Federation for the Blind initiative, QL+ plans to research and develop an instant feedback system that will allow the blind and visually impaired to experience the thrill of independent driving, using specially adapted vehicles on a closed challenge course.

To read more about these and other exciting QL+ projects, please visit our website. And, whether you’re sighted or visually impaired, enjoy World Braille Day!

‘Tis the Season to be Giving

2010-12-22T08:08:00.011-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

During the Holiday Season, we pause to reflect upon our own blessings, and to take part in gift-giving to those we hold dear and to those most in need.

As 2010 draws to a close, America’s dedicated troops remain in peril on the front lines in Afghanistan, Iraq and other danger zones around the world. Thanks to advances in weaponry, medical treatment of battle wounds and body armor, fewer of these brave men and women will be killed. However, many will return home with paralysis, loss of limbs and other life-altering injuries that will impact their lives and the lives of their families and friends.

Here at Quality of Life Plus (QL+), we strive every day to help our injured soldiers, public servants and first responders live life to the fullest.

Whether it's working, playing, or just going about everyday life; whether it's a special prosthetic for just one person, or an assistive device that can help a larger population; QL+ can help!

As you make your year-end charitable contributions, the QL+ team sincerely appreciates your consideration of support. In the past year, we have successfully developed several innovations that improve the quality of our nation’s heroes. While we have met many challenges, new ones are coming in daily.

NEWSFLASH!!! For those who make a contribution through year-end, our Founder and Chairman, Jon Monett, will personally match all donations!

Thank you. Your generosity will help fund innovative solutions to help America’s true heroes as they overcome the challenges of their disabilities – injuries sustained while protecting our country and our communities.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Protecting Those Who Protect Us

2010-12-13T09:19:00.004-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

These days, everybody’s concerned with identity theft. It’s annoying to have your credit card number stolen and have to cancel it and get another one. It’s worse when someone steals your personal information and uses it for their own gain. But worst of all is when those targeted in such scams are people not able to stand up for themselves, or those most deserving of our support.

A warning was issued this week in Vienna, Virginia, about an organization doing just that; dishonorable people targeting the honorable – those who have served our country with courage and valor.

Kevin Secor, a liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, warned veterans living in the vicinity of QL+’s headquarters in McLean, about a group called Veterans Affairs Services, or VAS for short. This group has modeled both their name and their official seal to bear a close resemblance to that of the real Veterans Affairs Department. That’s helping them convince unsuspecting veterans to hand over personal information that can then be exploited. Mr. Secor categorically stated that VAS, based out of La Mirada, California, is NOT “affiliated with the VA in any way.”

QL+ is dedicated to helping our veterans, whether it’s researching and developing prosthetics for those injured in the line of duty, or warning our nation’s heroes about scams like this one. For a list of veteran organizations that genuinely serve and/or advocate on behalf of injured military members and other public servants, please visit our website.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-22T12:48:00.006-05:00

By Amanda Dunn

Thanksgiving might seem like it’s just about turkey and all the trimmings, pumpkin pie and a day off work! But it’s not just about enjoying the food on our plates and the friends and family who share our table on this special holiday. It’s also about giving thanks.

On Thursday, there will be many families with empty spaces at their Thanksgiving tables. For some, those empty chairs will never be filled. They represent loved ones lost to protect our freedom.

For others, the gaps at the table are because loved ones are temporarily absent.

They might be serving right now on the front line of the global fight against terrorism. Somewhere in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Afghanistan or the dusty, sandy desert of Iraq, they’re chowing down on mass-catered turkey and apple pie and thinking of home, considering the weeks or months of deployment remaining before they can return to friends and family.

Or those meant to fill the empty spaces at the table might be gone just for the day; on patrol in their cruisers, policing our neighborhoods and keeping us safe, or standing by at the firehouse or hospital, hoping not to receive a call that necessitates racing out in the fire truck or ambulance to help those in urgent need.

QL+ gives thanks for all those who serve our country and our communities, and for those who put their own lives at risk to protect our nation and its citizens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Loud and Clear

2010-10-11T15:09:00.005-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Are you fed up of television commercials that seem ten times louder than the program you’re watching?

Despite denials by TV stations, this is such a consumer bug-bear that Toshiba has developed a new option on some of their HDTVs that tries to equalize the sound difference between scheduled programming and commercial breaks. And the Senate recently approved (unanimously) a bill already passed by the House. Called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (or CALM for short), the bill would require TV stations to air commercials at the same volume as the programs they interrupt.

However, it’s likely to be some time before there’s any real progress made. The House and Senate bills must first be reconciled; then the Federal Communications Commission will have to follow their own internal process to create the new regulations.

While this is little more than an annoyance for those of us with full hearing, it can be positively painful for people who wear hearing aids without noise reduction capabilities, which help to even out sudden changes in decibel levels of the kind that we’re talking about.
It’s hard to comprehend how difficult everyday living can be without one or more senses. That’s why QL+ is set to have not one but two student teams working on an exciting new QL+ Challenge this coming fall.

The ‘Radar for the Blind’ Challenge was offered to our not-for-profit organization by the blind and visually impaired community of Northern Virginia. The QL+ challenge involves designing a feedback system for people with limited or no sight that overcomes some of the shortfalls of the traditional white cane; in particular, the fact that the cane provides only one or two footfalls of feedback, and can’t detect low-lying or higher obstacles like the guide ropes you see at banks and movie theaters, or overhanging tree branches.

This exciting new QL+ Project will examine both the mode of delivery (how the feedback is transmitted to the user – for example, as an audible sound or tactile sensation) and method of delivery (via a cane, personal accessory, etc.). Find out more about this and our other upcoming projects on our website.

Sweet Dreams!

2010-10-05T08:14:00.003-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

As you know, the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) Laboratory is located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, but our Head Office is located in McLean, Virginia, on the East Coast.

McLean is also the home of CIA Langley, as well as the corporate offices of many big businesses, including the confectionery giant, Mars, Incorporated. Mars recently announced some very important news – at least, it’s important for those of us who love chocolate!
A group of researchers has almost finished sequencing the genome of the cacao tree. Now, this might not sound that exciting (personally, I am still waiting for negative-calorie chocolate – so that the more I eat, the more weight I lose!), but the information isolated by the Mars scientists will help the development of a more disease-resistant cacao tree. Ultimately, that means more chocolate for us all!

Apart from the fact that this exciting research has been funded by a McLean-based organization, and despite initial appearances, there are actually several synergies with the QL+ mission.

For a start, QL+ funds our own ground-breaking research and development at the QL+ Lab. Our 2,500-square-foot laboratory is a collaborative workspace, dedicated exclusively for use by QL+ project teams. Equipped with cutting-edge technology, the lab is wholly funded by the QL+ Program.

At the QL+ Lab, multidisciplinary teams of students are mentored by Cal Poly faculty members to use their newly-acquired knowledge and their enthusiasm to design solutions that tackle the everyday problems faced by those wounded in service to our nation. A QL+ project may seek a customized solution for a single individual, or it may produce an assistive technology that addresses the needs of many.

Last but not least, just like the Mars research, our investment in research and development has paid off. Since the organization’s inception, QL+-sponsored teams have completed or are near completion of ten projects, all of which will improve the quality of life of those who injured in the line of duty. This academic year, a new roster of student teams and faculty will take on up to 15 new projects. More students will be able to use their skills and their creativity in the service of those who most deserve it: the men and women injured while protecting our communities and our country.

One of the big differences is that it might take Mars several years to put their genome sequencing of the cacao tree to practical use. After all, the plants are notoriously difficult to breed and grow and take several years to mature.

However, QL+ Projects are solving the challenges of our nation’s injured heroes right now. Click here to read more about our work and how you can help today.

America’s First Female Police Officer

2010-09-27T10:20:00.005-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Two cities—Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California—have long vied for the title of having the first female police officer in the United States. However, Rick Barrett, a former DEA agent and amateur historian has now uncovered another name and another city that seems to trump all the other contenders.

The woman’s name is Marie Owens and she came from Chicago.

Marie Owens was a poor, Catholic, Irish widow and mother of five, who began working for Chicago’s City Health Department in 1889. She was one of five female factory inspectors, charged with overseeing and enforcing child labor and education laws. However, the small group of women could accomplish little to protect the working children of Chicago because of their limited powers; they could not even enter industrial premises without a warrant.

It was for this reason that Marie Owens was eventually transferred to the Chicago Police Department, where she seems to have become America's first woman police officer, with powers of arrest, the title of detective sergeant and a badge.

Nowadays, around 10% of law enforcement officers are women. QL+ not only serves active-duty and veteran members of the military; we also serve those injured while enforcing the law in our communities and across the nation, as well as other first responders like firefighters and paramedics.

Several of our upcoming projects for Fall 2010 at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) have been brought to us by a former firefighter, including an upcoming project to research and develop a portable hoist that will allow a disabled person to safely transfer between his or her wheelchair and other seating without assistance.

A Living Example of Courage Under Fire

2010-09-22T11:47:00.006-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon a member of the US Armed Forces. It’s usually presented to an individual by the President, in the name of Congress. Since its inception in 1861, almost 3,500 brave members of the military have received this medal. Every one of their stories is an inspiring tale of courage and bravery, of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of heroism amidst the horrors of war.

Most recipients never get to shake the Commander in Chief’s hand themselves, because most Medals of Honor are awarded posthumously. But on Friday, September 10, President Obama announced that the Medal of Honor will be awarded to a living service member for the first time since the Vietnam era.

Then-Specialist Salvatore Giunta, now an Army Staff Sergeant posted in Vicenza, Italy, was patrolling one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous and rugged areas—the Korengal Valley—when he and his fellow soldiers were ambushed by insurgents. Giunta was knocked to the ground by the gunfire but his life was saved by his body armor. He proceeded to rescue three wounded soldiers, including one who was being kidnapped by the enemy.

Advances in body armor have significantly improved survival rates for the brave men and women fighting the Global War on Terror around the world. However, this is often at the expense of limbs. QL+ designs assistive technologies, including prosthetics, to help our returning service members overcome the challenges of living without a hand, a leg, a foot or an arm.

One of our recently completed projects was the Erb Prosthetic Hand, which resulted in the development of an anatomically realistic hand that is easy to operate, lightweight to wear and inexpensive to manufacture.

One of our current QL+ Projects involves an individualized modification to this successful QL+ innovation. The end result will be a custom-designed prosthetic hand that will enable an active-duty member of the military to return to his unit. We are also currently designing a custom prosthetic leg to allow another active-duty serviceman to run, climb and swim.

For more information and to see photos of all our QL+ Projects, please visit www.qlplus.org.

Anthem for a Nation

2010-09-14T11:53:00.007-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Today is the day widely accredited as being the date that Francis Scott Key finished penning his poem, ‘Defence of Port McHenry’.

The 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet wrote what would go on to become America’s national anthem after witnessing the British Navy bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1812. His poem was inspired by the sight of intense rocket fire exploding around the largest flag ever flown in battle: the original Star-Spangled Banner, sewn by Betsy Ross and her daughter, which was a massive 30 feet by 42 feet.

Here’s some more interesting trivia about ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’:

Stirring and patriotic, our nation’s anthem is a four-verse poem that was only later set to the music of John Stafford Smith’s popular tune, ‘To Anacreon in Heaven’. (Anacreon was a Greek lyrical poet, alive around 500BC.)

The same tune was, for a time, also the national anthem of the tiny European country of Luxembourg.

The fourth verse begins with, “O! Thus be it ever, where freemen shall stand …” This last verse is sometimes performed on more formal occasions.

One of the phrases in the fourth stanza, “In God is our Trust”, became the inspiration for the nation’s motto, ‘In God We Trust’.

The national anthem was adopted via a Congressional resolution, passed on March 3, 1931.

Before then, other songs—including ‘Hail, Columbia’ and ‘My Country, ‘Tis of Thee’ vied for the title of America’s national anthem.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was first played at a baseball game in 1918. It became a standard at large sporting events during World War II.

The standard posture for members of the public listening to a rendition of the national anthem at a public event is to stand to attention, facing the flag, their right hand placed over their heart.

One of the most poignant performances of the American national anthem was on September 12, 2001, when the Band of the Coldstream Guards played the tune outside Buckingham Palace, England, as a sign of solidarity following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

We salute all those in service to our country: the land of the free and the home of the brave.

“I Only Regret That I Have But One Life To Give For My Country”

2010-09-10T10:36:00.004-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

These famous words were supposedly the last words of Captain Nathan Hale of the 19th Regiment of the Continental Army, as the young man was led to the gallows on the morning of September 22, 1776. Hale was hanged by the British as one of the first known spies of the Revolutionary War.

He was 21 years old.

It was on this day 234 years ago that Hale volunteered for the mission behind enemy lines, in response to General Washington’s appeal for intelligence gatherers prior to the Battle of Harlem Heights. Disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster, Hale made it to Long Island, where he spent several weeks gathering information about British troop movements before being captured.

Despite the passage of time, there are many elements of this story that relate to QL+ and its mission.

For example, there’s the fact that QL+ serves those employed by the US intelligence services, as well as active-duty and veteran members of the military, first responders and other public servants injured in the line of duty.

Then there’s the fact that Hale was a young man who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country. While advances in body armor have thankfully reduced the numbers of young servicemen and women losing their lives in the fight against terrorism, many more are now returning home without limbs. The QL+ program researches and develops prosthetics and other innovative devices to help our nation’s heroes live, work and play.

Finally, there’s Hales parting words. Like Kennedy’s famous quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”, Hale’s words are filled with inspirational words of patriotism and courage. QL+ is proud to serve all those injured in the line of duty to our country—America’s heroes.

Cash Flow Problems

2010-09-07T10:40:00.007-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

We all know about the ongoing issues of smuggling and border control between the US and Mexico.

Obviously, there’s the problem of drug smuggling. Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana are all smuggled into our country from the South, hidden in all manner of things, from cars to baby diapers to people.

Then there’s the issue of people smuggling, or illegal immigration. Individuals and groups make their way into the USA via the border with Mexico, although they come from countries across Central and South America. Estimates vary wildly as to how many people actually reach their destination and settle illegally in our country, ranging from 7 to 20 million people.

However, the latest border problem is money. Lots of it. And it’s being smuggled in the opposite direction—from the US into Mexico and beyond.

The cash is laundered money, the profits from the smuggling of drugs and illegal immigrants into America. For US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stationed at border crossings, the cash is extremely difficult to detect—even with the help of vehicle inspections, X-ray machines and specially-trained cash-sniffing dogs.

$1 million US dollars can fit into a single shoe box.

ICE agents work long and exhausting hours in harsh climates and rugged terrain to try and keep our borders safe; to protect our communities from the devastation that illegal drugs can wrought on families and communities; to prevent illegal immigrants from making it to America; and now, trying to safeguard our financial systems by blocking the mass exodus of huge amounts of US currency.

QL+ serves many active-duty and veteran members of our military who have been injured in the global war on terror. However, our organization also serves public servants like ICE officials who may be injured in the line of duty. Check out how we do it at www.qlplus.org.

Stormy Weather

2010-09-03T10:36:00.004-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

The East Coast has been bracing all week for Hurricane Earl to make landfall here, macabre visions of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of New Orleans haunting us as we batten down the hatches and prepare to hunker down and ride out the storm.

FEMA personnel have also been preparing.

While Hurricane Katrina was undoubtedly the worst natural disaster to strike the USA recently—resulting in at least 1836 deaths and more than $81 billion dollars of damage—it did have one positive effect; the streamlining of the nation’s emergency response and recovery plans.

FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the government department responsible for supporting the first responder sector and private citizens as they prepare for, protect against, respond to and recover from all types of hazards, ranging from natural disasters like hurricanes to acts of terrorism like 9/11.

FEMA has more than 3,700 full time employees, working out of their headquarters in Washington D.C., and at offices located around the country. It also has almost 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees, ready for immediate deployment to disaster areas. In addition, FEMA collaborates closely with local emergency agencies, other federal agencies and nonprofit organizations like the American Red Cross. For example, in preparation for Hurricane Earl, FEMA has worked with the Department of Health and Human Services to pre-ship vital medical supplies and equipment to potentially affected areas, and has commissioned the Department of Defense to conduct aerial surveillance of the approaching storm. That’s on top of activating FEMA response centers along the Eastern Seaboard and deploying Incident Management Assistance Teams and Search and Rescue Teams to stand by.

QL+ doesn’t just serve active-duty and veteran members of the military. Along with emergency responders, we also serve any federal employee who puts themselves at risk in the course of their duties – like the employees of FEMA.

Alongside local agencies, FEMA employees are there to support our communities in the face of hazards like Hurricane Earl, so it’s good to know that QL+ is there to support them should the worst happen. At the QL+ Laboratory at Cal Poly, our students and faculty produce innovative solutions that address the daily challenges faced by all those injured in the line of duty.

Heart of Steel

2010-08-31T10:43:00.003-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

There are plenty of poignant ceremonies that take place just a few miles down the road from the QL+ headquarters. I’m talking about the funerals at Arlington National Ceremony - the final laying to rest of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

But there was another poignant ceremony in Arlington over the weekend, one that reminds us exactly why we’re fighting this war.

On Saturday, the New York City Fire Riders set out from Brooklyn, New York, in a procession of fire trucks. One of the trucks was engraved with the names of all the fire fighters who went into the World Trade Center ... but never came out. All 343 of them.

The procession ended at Fire Station 5 in Arlington, the first to respond to the incident at the Pentagon on 9/11. In a solemn ceremony, a 13-foot steel girder from Ground Zero was presented to the Arlington fire fighters.

The steel beam will eventually be incorporated into a memorial for all those who lost their lives that day. But it is much more than just a reminder of the death, destruction and despair on that terrible day.

The girder is a symbol of solidarity between New York and DC fire fighters.

It’s a symbol of the reasons for the global war on terror and why we will not give up.

But most of all, that steel girder stands as a symbol of our nation’s strength, of our resolve, and as a reminder of all those who serve to protect our country and our liberty.

It reminds us that this truly is the home of the brave.

The Votes are In!

2010-08-24T09:05:00.007-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

OK, you asked for it! Our first ever blog poll has ended and 66% of you wanted to hear more about QL+ events, so here goes:

August 28, 2010: QL+ is honored to be one of the nominees for the annual San Luis Obispo Community Foundation Paul Woolff Accessibility Advocacy Awards. Our nomination recognizes our significant and ongoing contribution towards enhancing the quality of life for both veterans and the wider disabled population. The winners will be announced in California on Saturday, August 28, at a star-studded evening featuring guest star, Josh Blue, winner of NBC’s ‘Last Comic Standing’ in 2006.

October 4, 2010: If you’re in Rockland, Massachusetts, grab your golf clubs and join Wounded Warrior Golf and Harmon Rock Golf as they host a golf tournament to benefit QL+. A dinner and awards ceremony will follow, including an auction, special guests and live music.

November 7, 2010: The second annual QL+ Veterans Day BBQ and Picnic offers residents and visitors in and around the nation’s Capital region the opportunity to salute our wounded heroes while enjoying a fun-filled family picnic, all set amidst the tranquil rustic backdrop of the Pavilions at Turkey Run, near Washington DC.

May 12-14, 2011: Saddle up for a 276-mile bike ride along the scenic Highway 1, from Half Moon Bay in San Francisco to the cutting-edge QL+ Laboratory on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. A whole website dedicated to this QL+ event is coming soon!

May 21, 2011: Come and say hello as QL+ once again mans a booth at the community event of the year in our hometown. McLean Day 2011 features fairground rides, tasty food, free performances and much more.

Details about all these events and others can be found on our website, so sign up now!

And don’t forget to respond to our newest blog poll: we value your opinion!

Not So Nice in Nice

2010-08-20T08:06:00.002-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

You’ve probably been in the situation or know someone who has: some lowlife steals your credit card and you end up paying the price. Not literally, of course, because the credit card company assumes the cost of the fraudulent charges. But it’s time-consuming to get your cards cancelled and reissued, notify vendors who take payments using that card number - and then beg to have the late payment charges removed, because inevitably, you miss one.

So it was great to hear that French police had arrested ‘BadB’ at Nice Airport on the French Riviera last week.

He might sound like a bad rapper to you, but in fact, BadB is just plain bad.

Also known as Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, the 27-year old Russian may be one of the most wanted online sellers of stolen credit card information and identity theft in the world.But although it was the French police who made the actual arrest, they were working on information gathered by the US Secret Service.

The Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency, founded in 1865. The agency is best known for those details of suited men and women officers who assume responsibility for the safekeeping of our President and other dignitaries, from home and abroad, at home and abroad. These individuals are so dedicated that they’re prepared to take a bullet to protect those to whom they're assigned, including our Commander in Chief. In the course of the agency’s history, many have done just that.

But not many people know that the original mission of the Secret Service was to safeguard America’s financial system. It’s in this capacity that Secret Service agents here in the States were able to build the case that led to Horohorin’s arrest in Europe last week.

Horohorin might be good at stealing our credit, and the French might be good at taking the credit, but in this particular case, it’s the US Secret Service that really deserve the credit.

It's The Climb

2010-08-12T18:50:00.009-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

In the words of the Disney Channel pop sensation, Miley Cyrus, (feel free to sing along if you know the tune!):

‘The struggles I’m facing, the chances I’m taking,
Sometimes might knock me down but no, I’m not breaking...
Ain’t about how fast I get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side;
It’s the climb.’

This week, three extraordinary men climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This is a magnificent feat. After all, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest in mountain Africa, the fourth most prominent mountain in the world, and the highest free-standing mountain on Earth.

However, if that wasn’t impressive enough, the three men—Dan Nevins, Neil Duncan, and Kirk Bauer—are all amputees.

They stumbled and scrambled and clawed their way to the peak, 19,298 feet from the base, on one good leg and five prosthetic ones. All are military veterans who lost their limbs in combat.

There aren’t many of us out there who would even consider such an adventure. These men are truly awe-inspiring. They show that it’s not about disabilities, but about abilities. They teach us that it’s not about giving up, but facing up to and overcoming our limitations. They prove that with the right kind of prosthetic, anything is possible.

Losing a limb shouldn’t mean losing your quality of life too. QL+ can develop a specialized prosthetic or other innovative solution to overcome any challenge you may be facing—at work, at home, or at play.

If you can dream it, we can make it.

Women Warriors

2010-08-10T09:36:00.004-04:00

They say that behind every strong man is a strong woman, and that’s certainly true for our President (although I’m not talking about Michelle Obama!). I’m talking about the women of the US Armed Services.

The five branches of the US Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard) serve at the pleasure of the President. These days, around 14 per cent of all active duty service personnel are women—not to mention about 15% women reservists and National Guards. That’s a whole lot of wives, mothers and daughters.

Women have served in the US Army since 1775, initially as nurses, laundresses and camp cooks. Now, however, you’ll find women increasingly on the frontline, filling traditional male roles—from military policing to convoy security to sometimes, unfortunately, prisoners of war. (Remember Jessica Lynch?)

Women continue to break barriers in the US Navy, too. Of the more than 50,000 female active-duty Naval personnel, more than 8,000 are officers. Whether it’s in the air, in the water or on land, servicewomen in the Navy serve in a variety of jobs, ranging from aviation warfare specialists to navy divers to mechanics, engineers and medics.

The history of women in the US Coast Guard officially began as far back as the 1830s with the appointment of female lighthouse keepers (although women often performed this function long before then, when husbands or fathers fell ill.) Nowadays, around 12.5% of all Coast Guard personnel are women.

Similarly, almost 20% of the US Air Force is now made up of women, and around 6% of the US Marine Corps. Advances for women in the US Armed Services can perhaps best be summed up by the fact that, in less than four decades, women have gone from being entirely excluded from West Point Military Academy to taking the top two honors in the 2010 graduating class. Congratulations to Alexandra Rosenberg and Elizabeth Betterbed on their achievements.

With these figures in mind, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinskeki has recently made health care for women veterans a priority. Women injured in the line of duty have unique needs. From how they deal with PTSD to prosthetics that allow them to wear high heels, women veterans need specialized rehabilitation just as much as their male counterparts.

QL+ recognizes the individual needs of every one of our nation’s heroes, female or male. That’s why some of our challenge innovations serve only one person. Take for example the recumbent bike we’re customizing for ex-Navy demolition diver, Rob Kelly, or the specially designed prosthetic hand we’re developing that will allow an active-duty military member to more easily load his ammunition. By concentrating on a quality result rather than commercial viability, QL+ can help anyone injured in the line of duty live, work or play better.

East Meets West

2010-08-06T12:33:00.002-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Did you know that Quality of Life Plus (QL+) currently operates out of two locations?

The QL+ Program is based in Northern Virginia.

Our Headquarters can be found in McLean, a small town about 15 minutes drive from our nation’s capital. (Well, 15 minutes unless it's rush hour!) If you take George Washington Parkway, it’s a very scenic drive. The road is operated by the National Parks Service and follows alongside the Potomac River, offering beautiful seasonal panoramas of the river and its banks and, when you get nearer to DC itself, postcard-perfect views of iconic national landmarks like the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Kennedy Center.

McLean is home to many large corporations, but our real claim to fame is that we’re home to CIA Langley. (Up until a few months ago, we could also claim the dubious honor of being home to one of the last remaining McDonalds with a single arch instead of two. However, the downtown burger joint closed recently and the sign disappeared overnight.)

The other location for the QL+ program is the QL+ Laboratory, pictured above. Located on-campus at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, the state-of-the-art QL+ Lab is the innovation engine that drives our organization’s mission. It’s here that dedicated students and faculty are inspired to develop new assistive devices that improve the quality of life for anyone injured in the line of duty.

You can see more pictures of our lab, hear from our students and faculty, and read more about our successful projects by visiting our website.

4 + 1000 + 1 = ?

2010-08-03T10:02:00.005-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

I’m sure you’re wondering how 4 + 1000 + 1 can possibly equal anything other than 1005, right? Well it can if you’re talking about wildfires!

The wildfire season in California is generally considered to begin in October with the arrival of the famous Santa Ana winds. However, August can be the most dangerous and prolific month for wildfires, because by this stage of the summer, the landscape is so arid and the weather conditions so hot and dry that fires can quickly devastate whole swaths of land, destroying vegetation, wildlife, homes and, unfortunately sometimes, the people who own those homes.

While we were at the pool over the weekend, or working at the office, or (if you’re really lucky!) lying on the beach somewhere, soaking up the sunshine, hundreds of brave men and women were battling to bring at least seven wildfires under control in California. In other states, too, firefighters worked tirelessly around the clock to save homes and to save lives.

From bog fires (slow smoldering fires on the forest floor) to crown fires that spread from treetop to treetop (the most difficult wildfires to fight), these individuals put their lives on the line year-round, country-wide.

First responders like firefighters are just one of the groups served by Quality of Life Plus. We also serve active-duty and former members of the military, members of the intelligence community, and any other civilian who puts themselves at risk, protecting our homes, our communities and our country.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the math puzzler at the beginning of today’s blog, the answer is zero. Because, without firefighter intervention, in around 4 minutes, a 1000F wildfire can reduce one square mile of forest to virtually nothing.

Working Hard for our Veterans

2010-07-30T09:56:00.004-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Current unemployment figures are bad. The total unemployed rate is 9.5%. In other words, for every hundred people in the US, almost 10 are without work.

But current unemployment figures for the disabled community are really bad.

According to government statistics for June 2010, the unemployment rate for disabled people is 14.4%. That’s 50% higher than their able-bodied counterparts.

For all of us, the chance to leave the house in the morning and head out to work expands our horizons—not to mention our wallets. We get to interact with other people, think about other issues, do other things. Work can provide us with money; but more importantly, it can also provide us with a sense of self-esteem and validate us as a valued member of society.

The focus of the QL+ Program is to help our injured servicemen and women live independent lives, whether that’s at home, at leisure or in the workplace. That’s why several of our projects are specifically aimed at getting our injured veterans back to work:

CAT 320CL and CAT D6R Challenge Projects: The goal of both of these QL+ Challenge projects was to create an easy way for injured veterans—including those with missing limbs—to climb in and out of the elevated cabs of these two pieces of heavy equipment. A different student team worked to create specialized hoists for both the excavator and bulldozer, providing disabled veterans with easy ingress and egress.

Yosemite Reforestation Project: This QL+-sponsored project will employ some of our nation’s injured heroes to help clear and reforest a tract of land near Yosemite in California that was destroyed by a forest fire. QL+ sponsored a design competition through the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Architecture Department to design eco-friendly, disabled-accessible accommodation to be built on-site. The QL+ portable hoist projects developed for the CAT 320CL and CAT D6R equipment will also be used on this project.

Prosthetic Hand and Prosthetic Foot Projects: Two of our latest QL+ Challenge projects involve creating specialized prosthetic limbs for two active-duty members of the military who wish to return to serving with their units.

Emergency Response Experience: Not only does this outdoor course aim to enhance participants’ self-confidence and help them come to terms with their psychological and/or physical injuries, but its disaster response storyline will serve as a basic introduction to careers in the emergency services. In addition, we hope that at least some—if not all—of the instructors on this course will themselves be injured veterans.

So you see: QL+ is working hard ... so that our veterans can too.

PTSD - or 'Putting a stop To Silly Documentation'!

2010-07-27T09:45:00.004-04:00

The Department of Veterans Affairs is set to adopt new rules this week, making it easier for personnel suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to receive the help and compensation they deserve.

Up until now, veterans have been required to document which specific event – bomb blast, fire fight or other engagement with the enemy – was responsible for the symptoms that can haunt those who have served on active duty. Unfortunately, most of our servicemen and women were too busy trying to protect themselves, their colleagues and innocent civilians to make detailed notes while under fire!

The new proposals will require only that veterans prove that they served in a war zone and were exposed to any of the numerous stressors that can cause PTSD.

QL+ understands the debilitating nature of PTSD on our nation’s heroes. From panic attacks to sleeplessness to flashbacks, the symptoms of this disorder can be devastating—causing family break-ups, financial difficulties and myriad other sociological difficulties. Coupled with a combat injury, the results can be even more destructive, both for the individual and for their loved ones.

That’s where the QL+ ‘Emergency Response Experience’ comes in. This planned program will incorporate a combination of survival elements, teamwork and physical challenges, all revolving around a storyline of disaster response. The proposed one to two-week course in California will enhance an individual’s self-confidence and self-esteem, helping them to come to terms with their psychological and/or physical combat injuries so that they can once again live life to the fullest.

This new QL+ program is in its earliest planning stages and will likely take some time to become a reality. However, QL+ believes that our nation’s heroes deserve our full support on their road to recovery. That’s the whole premise of the QL+ Program—and the driving force behind the creation of this new proposed QL+ rehabilitation opportunity.

One in a Million--or More!

2010-07-21T13:00:00.008-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

How many Facebook users are there? No-one seems to know exactly, but the number 500,000,000 seems to be the number most often quoted. (Yes, that’s five hundred million!) There are also about 75,000,000 Twitter users. As for blogs, conservative estimates suggest around 2,000,000 blogs out there on the Internet.

So if you’re a fan of the QL+ Facebook page, thank you! If you’re following us on Twitter, thank you! And if you’re reading this blog, thank you again!

However, QL+ doesn’t want to be just one amongst millions; we want to be Number One.

We’re talking about being the Number One provider of prosthetics and other assistive devices to those injured in the line of duty.

The QL+ Program is unique. First, we identify wounded patriots whose service-related injuries slow them down or prevent them from reaching their full potential. Then we engage the dedicated and enthusiastic students and faculty at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to create innovative solutions that mitigate these everyday challenges.

These innovations are based on quality solutions rather than commercial viability. They help our injured heroes live, work or play. They may help many people or they may help only one.

We might get lost in the big numbers of new media users, but we believe we're already well on the way to fulfilling our vision of being the preeminent not-for-profit supplier of technologies to benefit those we serve; the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

Like Father, Like Daughter

2010-07-15T11:04:00.012-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

People say that I’m like my Dad. I have his fair hair and blue eyes. I have his interest in reading and thirst for trivia. I even have his dislike of Brussels sprouts. But then again, doesn’t everyone hate Brussels sprouts?!

My Dad died a month ago, after a long, hard-fought battle with cancer.

I was blessed that I got to return to England and see Dad while he was still lucid.

During the two weeks I was in the UK, I spent a lot of time sitting in the hospice by his bedside, holding his hand, talking, and trying not to cry (but frequently failing). Sometimes Dad and I chatted about nothing much — the weather, or what was in the news that day. Other times, we had more in-depth conversations.

One of the subjects Dad kept returning to was the Second World War, whether it was talking about the dance music of Glen Miller, or about the fruit and vegetables the family grew in a plot of land near his home, or about those he knew who signed up to fight.

WWII played a huge part in Dad’s childhood and formative years, so it made sense that this was what Dad remembered most in his life and wanted to talk about the most. You see, Dad grew up during WWII. His father (my grandfather) served in the infantry. When he was older, Dad also served in uniform — although by then, the War had thankfully ended and he didn’t get sent overseas to fight like my Grandad or my Great Uncle Jack.

I didn’t return to England for Dad’s funeral two weeks ago. That was his express wish; we had already “said our goodbyes,” he said. Two days ago, I received a program for Dad’s memorial service and his obituary notice. Both read, “Family flowers only, donations please made payable to ‘Help For Heroes’.”

Curious, I looked the charity up. It turns out that ‘Help for Heroes’ is a British charity that mirrors much of the work that QL+ does here in the US. The message of the UK charity is simple:

“We believe that anyone who volunteers to serve in time of war, knowing that they may risk all, is a hero. These are ordinary people, doing extraordinary things and some of them are living with the consequences of their service for life. We may not be able to prevent our soldiers from being wounded, but together we can help them get better.”

Here at QL+, we too strive every day to help our nation’s heroes overcome injuries they have sustained in Iraq, in Afghanistan or elsewhere during service to America and its people. We salute all those who serve so selflessly and with such courage.

As my Mom said in her accompanying letter, “We haven’t heard as yet how much was collected for the injured young soldiers, but Dad would have approved most heartily. Anything we could do to help these poor young men and women who have their lives before them, with the most appalling injuries and loss of limbs, etc. is to be praised.”

Really, I couldn’t put it better myself. I know my Dad was proud of me; now I know he was also proud of what I do here at QL+.

"Summertime, when the living is easy..."

2010-07-13T10:00:00.003-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Oh, the lazy days of summer—but not so much, here at QL+! Here are some of the things we’re busy working on right now:

Preparing for the start of a new academic year: The QL+ Class of 2011 will tackle an increased number of challenge projects at the QL+ Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). In addition, we’re starting to assess other higher-education institutions across the country in our search for the location of our next QL+ research lab. These program expansions mean that more students will be able to apply their talents to our worthwhile cause, and more injured veterans will be helped by QL+ innovations.

QL+ Board meeting: An important upcoming meeting, where the Executive Director and HQ staff brief the QL+ leadership on progress thus far, and seek advice and guidance on strategic long-term plans for our not-for-profit organization.

2010 QL+ Veterans Day BBQ and Picnic: We’re busy planning this hugely popular, fun-filled family event, held annually at The Pavilions at Turkey Run, in McLean, Virginia. Admission includes a fully catered barbecue with ice cream dessert, plus wine, beer and soft drink beverages, an auction, and inflatable rides and arts and craft activities for our younger supporters. You can find out more by visiting www.qlplus.org/events.

Other exciting projects about to get off the ground here include the QL+ ‘Emergency Response Experience’, an immersive adventure/survival course for injured veterans, based around a storyline featuring responses to various natural disasters; and a 275-mile, three-day bike ride along the California coastline, set for May 2011.

We’ll feature more information about these and other interesting QL+ events and projects on our website as details become available, so stay tuned!

Roll Up, Roll Up!

2010-07-09T09:00:00.006-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Earlier this week saw the bicentennial anniversary of Phineas Taylor Barnum’s birth—the greatest showman on Earth.

Born on July 5, 1810 in Bethel, Connecticut, few people know that P.T. Barnum was, amongst other things, also a storekeeper, a politician, and a real estate speculator—as well as being the creator of "The Greatest Show on Earth."

Here at Quality of Life Plus, we don’t care if you want to run marathons on the weekend, operate machinery for work, or run away and join the circus as a trapeze artist! If you have a service-related injury that you feel limits your potential, contact us at www.qlplus.org/challenges.

The QL+ program welcomes challenges from individuals, family members, caregivers and the broader disabled community.

Successful ‘Class of 2010’ QL+ projects include modification of heavy CAT machinery for use by amputees and others with limited mobility, and a wheelchair that converts from indoor to outdoor use so that a young woman can once again enjoy the great outdoors independently. Another project nearing completion is a recumbent bicycle to enhance a former Navy demolition diver’s participation in century bike rides.

Our innovative assistive devices are designed to help wounded servicemen and women live, work or play to their maximum capability.

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T12:44:00.001-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Happy Fourth of July! The day we celebrate the birth of our great nation.

But what really makes a nation?

Landmarks? Yes. Tradition? Yes. Food? Of course! Who doesn’t like barbecue ribs and apple pie?!

But the thing that really makes a nation, this nation, OUR nation, are its people.

Who we are and what we believe in are the most important things. Our family, our friends, our communities; these are what we truly value.

Here at QL+, we are proud to support all those who protect what we value most. We serve members of the military, first responders and any civilian injured while protecting our country and our citizens.

Whether you’re shopping in the grocery store with your kids, fighting forest fires high in the hills of California, firing up the barbecue for a neighborhood get-together, or fighting insurgents in Afghanistan, you ARE America. And that’s something to celebrate!

Spies Like US

2010-07-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

By Amanda Dunn

Back yards and white picket fences. Tree-lined neighborhoods with kids screaming through sprinklers. Fourth of July parades, yellow school buses, the American Dream.

But for the 11 accused spies arrested this week in Washington and New York, it wasn't the American Dream so much as the Russian Dream.
All stand accused of being embedded Russian spies - some in deep cover for up to twenty years - assigned with infiltrating governmental and policy-making organizations in order to obtain classified information that was fed back to their Russian handlers.

While there's definitely something thrilling for all of us, hearing about the cloak-and-dagger activities of these 11 individuals - the envelopes full of money, the drops at dawn, the encrypted messages between Moscow, New York and Arlington, Virginia - what we mustn't lose sight of is the daring group of men and women who uncovered this extensive ring of spies.

Members of the intelligence community are just one of the groups served by Quality of Life Plus (QL+). Our mission is to improve the quality of life for ALL those injured in the line of duty - from active-duty members of the military serving on the frontlines in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the dedicated members of the nation's intelligence agencies who work 24/7 to keep our country safe.

Check out how we help those who protect our country and our communities by visiting our website at http://www.qlplus.org/.

QL+ joins the blogging world!

2010-07-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

This is QL+'s first blog! Our goal here is to promote who we are, what we do and who we serve.

The QL+ mission is to foster and generate the research and development of prosthetics and other innovative assistive devices for men and women who sustain life-changing injuries in the line of duty. Our innovations benefit active-duty and retired military veterans, first responders and civilian veterans wounded in service. We also fund the QL+ Laboratory, a facility within the School of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, CA, where teams of students and faculty work together to identify solutions that will improve the lives of America’s wounded patriots.

For more information, visit www.qlplus.org.

We hope you will follow along with us!

Sincerely,
The QL+ Team