Chip Raines

It is a story we have seen time and again, that of an individual who grew up in a family contracting business. In Chip’s case, his family had a lumberyard and construction company. Since he was big enough to carry a shovel, he was on one jobsite or another. For many years he worked doing actual construction. In 2005, he shifted to estimating and purchasing of materials. In November 2018, he went to work for a smaller builder where he handled estimating and materials sourcing, including lumbar, plumbing equipment, windows, roofing, flooring etc. In 2020, that builder closed 73 homes in the Greenwood, South Carolina market.

A disc had ruptured damaging the spinal at the T10 level, leaving Chip paralyzed below the waist. While rehabbing at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, Chip learned about our foundation. His insurance provided him with a power wheelchair based on his level of injury. Users of a power wheelchair however need to also have a manual wheelchair in the event of a failure of the power chair. In Chip’s case, he also found that a manual chair would provide better access to certain parts of his home as well as that of friends, whose homes are generally not wheelchair friendly.

After spending his available resources on a bathroom renovation, he had no money left for a manual wheelchair. That led him to apply to our foundation for a grant.

After receiving his chair, Chip wrote, “Thank you for the grant for this awesome chair. Your foundation is a huge asset for persons in need of assistance. Thank you again.”