Ms. Wheelchair California 2009 : Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up: "Night By the Ocean"

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

"Night By the Ocean" - Life Rolls On's 6th Annual Gala

The 6th Annual "Night By the Ocean" benefiting "Life Rolls On" was held on Sunday, October 4th at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. What an amazing night to support what this organization does to help people realize that just because they have a disability doesn't mean they can't get out and surf! A lot of money was raised that evening as well as a great announcement was made!

Alyson joined Scott Caan on the red carpet in front of paparazzi as his father, James Caan, looked on. Scott helped Alyson in Malibu as well as at the U.S. Open of Surfing a few months ago.

Alyson Roth and Teal Sherer both completed rehabilitation at Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta, GA, though at different times. Teal was an encourager for Alyson when she got hurt and was a patient there nine years ago. Teal has accomplished amazing things as an actress in Hollywood. She caught her first wave on a recent trip to Costa Rica with another amazing organization called "Oceans Healing" and then again in America with Life Rolls On while in La Jolla recently.

Alyson with Patrick Ivison. Patrick has been working with Project Walk, a rehabilitation center to help people with spinal cord injuries get in better shape as well as retrain their muscles and nerves to walk again. Check out this cool video of all Patrick has accomplished! Click here. Mind you, Patrick was hurt in a car accident when he was a baby and is a complete quadriplegic. Simply amazing!

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell and Alyson Roth. Chill is on the Fox show "Brothers." Awesome!!

Alyson and her date, Scott Caan, as well as with his dad, James Caan (The Godfather), below.

Alyson had the opportunity to meet one of the most genuine and kind hearted woman, Anna Faris. Anna was in the movie "The House Bunny." Such a sweet and amazing woman with a heart of gold.

Simon Baker and Alyson reunite!

The big announcement of the evening was that Life Rolls on and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation are merging together to become one. What a fantastic partnership, and I look forward to this seed blooming into a beautiful organization to help millions of people around the world in so many ways! Read the press release here.

Finally, Brooke Burns received the first ever "Inspiration Award" for exuding courage, grace, and compassion after sustaining a spinal cord injury.

Thank you to all who participated and all the volunteers to make this a fantastic evening. Jessie Billauer, Josh Billauer, Meghan Schinderle, Kris Nakamura, and everyone at LRO.... you rock! Can't wait to get out into the water again at next year's events!

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Ms. Wheelchair California is available for speaking engagements, master of ceremony events, parades, photo opportunities and other community events. All events will be considered, and if deemed appropriate and scheduling allows, the Ms. Wheelchair California Foundation will do its best to accommodate your request.

Please contact the Ms. Wheelchair California office www.mswheelchaircaliforniafoundation.org.

(* Please note that during my reign, my title was underneath the Ms. Wheelchair California pageant with Ruthee Goldkorn as the State Coordinator. Ms. Wheelchair America no longer recognizes her pageant as part of the National program, thus a new Foundation was begun for future title holders to continue spreading advocacy in a positive manner.)

Biography

Alyson Roth, Ms. Wheelchair California 2009, lived in Southern California when she was crowned. In 2000, Alyson was involved in a near-fatal car accident that left her with a spinal cord injury and paralyzed from the waist down. Alyson obtained her BS in Music Education at Samford University, and her MS in Elementary Reading and Literacy from Walden University. While at Samford University, she was successful in establishing a “Disability Awareness Week” where students learned about different disabilities and simulated them in order to understand the barriers that confronted students with disabilities. It brought a new awareness to the campus and became a catalyst for further accessibility within the community. After graduation, she taught music in the public and private school sector before joining Free Wheelchair Mission in 2007. Free Wheelchair Mission is a non-profit organization that distributes wheelchairs to over 80 countries around the world to the poorest people with disabilities.

Alyson continued her advocacy by speaking at both the National Association for Music Education’s National Convention (2004) with her session entitled “Barrier-free Music Education: Concepts of Inclusion” and the National Orff Schulwerk Association National Convention (2005) with her session entitled “Mainstreaming the Process”. These sessions taught other music educators how to turn able-bodied music lessons into lessons that included those children with disabilities in the mainstreamed classroom. She has also written several articles and been published in several magazines regarding disability awareness.

Yosemite National Park is now more wheelchair friendly and ADA compliant due to Alyson’s input while sitting on the Board of Directors. She has assisted Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a disabled member of the Atlanta inner-city community. To bring more recognition to those with disabilities, Alyson presented the “Ability through Mobility” Award to four recipients around the country for their outstanding work within their community despite their disability. She has traveled to Nicaragua to work at an orphanage for children with disabilities and teach music at a school for the blind. Alyson has also traveled to Mexico to deliver wheelchairs to the country’s poorest people with disabilities and has had the opportunity to collaborate with the former president of Mexico, President Vicente Fox, about the importance of providing wheelchairs to the citizens of Mexico in addition to providing aide and healthcare to everyone.

In her free time, Alyson enjoys providing mentorship for newly injured patients, participating in several outdoor activities including waterskiing, surfing, and swimming. It is Alyson’s desire to educate the public on the truths of having a disability and empower those with a disability to be all they can be in a world full of possibilities.

Ms. Wheelchair California 2009 : Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

"Night By the Ocean" - Life Rolls On's 6th Annual Gala

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