Christopher Reeve
The foundation was started in 1982 by Henry Stifle, whose son had been injured in a motor vehicle accident. Its original name was the Stifle Paralysis Research Foundation, and it was later renamed the American Paralysis Association (APA). In 1995, the actor Christopher Reeve became a quadriplegic as a result of a horse riding accident. Reeve sought out the help of the APA and lent them his name and funding, In 1996, the foundation was renamed the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and then the Christopher Reeve Foundation.