OPAF | About the Fund

Click here to learn about service on the OPAF Board of Directors.

History and Mission

The Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) is a nonprofit organization, a 501(c) (3) public charity, established and incorporated in January 1995 by the former Orthotics and Prosthetics National Office. The Orthotics and Prosthetics National Office is now three separate organizations including The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA), The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) and The American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC). Each of these organizations still supports OPAF through both financial and in-kind support. OPAF was initially dedicated to providing financial and in-kind support to the 1996 Paralympics, OPAF now generates its own initiatives through partnerships with individuals, organizations, and institutions engaged in:

improving the quality of life for O & P patients through health and fitness programs, and
raising public awareness of physical disability.

OPAF aims primarily to enable individuals served by the orthotics and prosthetics community to enjoy the rewards of personal achievement, physical fitness, and social interaction.

In achieving this goal, OPAF also seeks to:

provide adaptive sports programs, clinics and activities that appeal to those served by the orthotic and prosthetic community.
raise public awareness of the benefits that individuals with physical disabilities receive from physical activity, orthotics, and prosthetics;
facilitate continuing education programs for allied-health professionals who serve as members of the rehabilitation team; and
coordinate in-kind support for future Paralympic games, chiefly by ensuring that orthotists and prosthetists certified under the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics (ABC) are available to athletes during competitions;

From 1996-2005, the core operations and programs of OPAF have been made possible through generous contributions from the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), ABC, and American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA). Since that time we have generated our own funding from both within and outside the orthotic and prosthetic community to support our programs and initiatives.

OPAF's logo reflects recognition and appreciation of this longstanding support. Three stars - representing AAOP, ABC, and AOPA - crown the main star, which represents the individuals served by OPAF. The two stars flanking the main star represent the allied fields of orthotics and prosthetics.

Growth of OPAF and its programs depends on the generosity of all contributors who share our commitment to enhance the quality of life for all individuals with disabilities. We welcome your support. All financial and in-kind donations to these events are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by U.S. law. We welcome your support through the following initiatives. Thank you!

Incorporation

OPAF is a nonprofit organization, a 501(c) (3) public charity, incorporated in the state of Delaware. Our incorporation papers are on file at 750 Bridgeview Road, Langhorne, PA 19053. A copy of this document is available upon request.

Certificate of Authority

OPAF holds a valid certificate of authority to transact business in Pennsylvania.

Memberships

OPAF holds a Disability Organization Membership of the Amputee Coalition of America (www.amputee-coalition.org). The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is a national, non-profit amputee consumer educational organization representing people who have experienced amputation or are born with limb differences. The ACA includes individual amputees, amputee education and support groups for amputees, professionals, family members and friends of amputees, amputation or limb loss related agencies, and organizations.

OPAF is also an Organizational Member of the United States Tennis Association (www.usta.com) as a Community Tennis Association in conjunction with our nationally recognized adaptive tennis program, First Volley™.

Governance and Board of Directors

A Board of Directors governs OPAF according to bylaws written in 1995 and revised in subsequent years.

The 2009 Board, effective 12/1/2008, includes:

Officers

Jeffrey J. Collins, CPA – President
Jeff is the President and Chief Financial Officer of Cascade Orthopedic Supply, Inc., a wholesale supplier servicing the O&P industry. He is a California certified public accountant and has years of experience working with 501 (c)(3) organizations, serving as an officer and providing audit and tax services to these types of organizations. His involvement with Boy Scouts of America, where he earned the status of Eagle Scout, and other philanthropic organizations such as Shriners Un-Limb-ited, ROMP, The Basra Project and Mercy Ships makes him a natural fit with OPAF. His six years of experience in the O&P field along with his professional background has led him to assist OPAF and ultimately the individuals that it serves. Jeff lives in Chico, California and can be seen regularly at major national and regional industry events.

Darren R. Donnelly, CO – Vice President
Darren is an ABC certified orthotist with New England O & P Systems in Branford, CT. He is no stranger to volunteer organizations, serving as an executive board member and vice president for the LIVE Foundation. He has also assisted in the treatment of children in Sierra Leone, Africa, brutalized in the civil wars and has worked with Kids in Crisis and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ridgefield, CT.

Lisa Arbogast – Treasurer
Lisa Arbogast is the Director for Corporate Branding for a well know family owned prosthetics manufacturer- Ohio Willow Wood. This is her first term as an OPAF officer. She has worked in the P&O industry for 19 years, and has volunteered for non-profits such as Children's Hospital, Mt. Sterling Community Center and the Golden Eagle Youth Association. She possesses a strong desire to help "heal the bodies, hearts, and minds of amputees across the world", and is proud to do so through the Orthotics and Prosthetics Assistance Fund.

Elizabeth Mansfield – Immediate Past President
Mansfield is the president of Outsource Marketing Solutions, LLC. She is the Marketing 101 columnist for the O & P Almanac and the Marketing Best Business Practices columnist for the O & P Business News and is a frequent presenter at O & P meetings. She is a member of the American Board for Certification in Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc. (ABC) Public Relations and Marketing Committee. Mansfield has a degree in communications from Boston College.

Directors

Stacey Minton
Stacey Minton comes to the OPAF Board of Directors as the Creator and Developer of the Adaptive Scuba Instructor Course for Scuba Schools International. She has been teaching Scuba Diving since 1993 and was inducted as a Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor in 2007. As Instructor Certifier and coordinator of adaptive scuba events, she is working with other non profit organizations to get people with physical disabilities to dive with able bodied divers. She is also a Health Fitness instructor with the "American College of Sports Medicine" which works closely with physicians and physical therapists during rehabilitation programs. She and her husband, Si, own and operate New Mexico Scuba Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Stacey is also very involved with Dive Pirates Foundation, based out of Houston, Texas as the Director of Training. Stacey will bring both her focus on adaptive diving and her skills with the physically challenged population to the board. "I believe that a person with a physical disability should be able to enjoy activities without a 'handicapped label'. We adapt the sport to the diver and not the diver to the sport. I would like to see more doors open up and give those individuals a chance to at least experience what it is like to be free," says Minton.

Deenie McKeever
Deenie's compassion for amputees and others served by the O&P industry was nurtured in childhood, accompanying her father, O&P pioneer, Dan McKeever to his office at J.E.Hanger. Deenie was appointed to the J.E. Hanger Board of Directors in 1973, and served in that capacity until it was sold in 1996. During her tenure, she was deeply inspired by her father's business acumen, his vision for the industry, and his readiness to serve others. Motivated to follow his example, Deenie has served her community through leadership and volunteer development for the 1996 Olympics, the Flying Doctors, Habitat for Humanity, Piedmont Hospital, Wesleyan School missions, Advocates for Children, Catholic Charities, and the Humane Society. Her dynamic enthusiasm, organizational expertise, and visionary focus played a major role in launching ALTA, a first of its kind tennis league, which began with a hundred people and now boasts a membership of over 85,000 people. Over the last two years, she has poured her energies into NARHA's Horses for Heroes national program…and is currently the visionary driving force responsible for McKeever's First Ride, honoring her father and giving recognition as was done through the Hanger Trust endowment to OPAF. She is thrilled to bring her passion and talents into service on the OPAF Board of Directors.

Don Hardin
Don Hardin returns to the OPAF Board of Directors as one of the founding fathers of OPAF. His stellar career in O & P speaks volumes. Don currently serves as the Director of Trade, Payor and Government Relations for Otto Bock Heath Care. Within the O & P industry, there are few positions that Don has not held. He has served AOPA (American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association) as Exhibits Chairman, National Assembly Chairman, Business Procedure and Date Committee Chairman, Marketing Committee Chairman, AOPA Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President, President-Elect, President and Immediate Past President, Chairman of the 1996 Paralympic Initiative, as well as a previous President of OPAF. He is also the recipient of the AOPA Lifetime Achievement Award. "OPAF has always occupied a sweet spot in my heart. As the original enabler, I have watched it grow from a concept to reality and a powerful source for good in the O & P community. When asked this time to serve on the board, I didn't hesitate a moment. I have feew years left to serve a profession I have enjoyed for 42 years and what better way to end a career?" says Hardin.

Brooke Artesi
Brooke Artesi comes to the OPAF Board of Directors as both an O & P practitioner and an amputee athlete. Brooke is both a licensed Orthotist and a CPed and is currently enrolled in the distant learning curriculum for prosthetics at the Newington Certificate Program for orthotics and prosthetics. She also holds a BS in Biology from Rutgers University and an AAS in Fine Arts from FIT. Brooke also serves on the Board of Directors for No Limits Limb Loss Association and serves as a volunteer counselor to them as well as serving as a board member of the New Jersey Board of Examiners in Orthotics & Prosthetics. She is also a Certified Peer Visitor for the Amputee Coalition of America. As an amputee athlete, Brooke finished 3rd in the kayak competition of the 2008 Extremity Games and is an avid fan and participant of the OPAF First Volley Tennis Program. "The organized structure of OPAF and its nationwide presence allows amputees to participate in activities with their peers that would otherwise not be possible," says Brooke.

Brad Mattear
Brad Mattear joins the board of directors in 2009 from the OPAF Advisory Board, where he has been able to offer his wisdom and advice. Brad is the General Manager of O & P 1 Central Fabrication, and Business Development Manager of Clark & Associates of Waterloo, Iowa. Brad also serves on the Industry Advisory Board of O & P Business News and is a founder and non-voting member of the Iowa Prosthetics, Orthotics and Pedorthic Association. He is also a second term board member and Chairman of the fundraising arm for the Cedar Valley Hospice, a cause near and dear to his heart. Brad has also served as the OPAF auctioneer for the First Bid, Live and Silent Auctions in 2007 and 2008. "I want to be involved with OPAF for a number of reasons, but none more than the service that they provide to patients in need with First Clinics held around the country," says Mattear

Dennis Williams, CP
Dennis Williams, CP and amputee athlete joined the board of directors after being an integral part of the development and success of First Swim. Dennis is an ABC certified prosthetist with Allied Orthotics & Prosthetics of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Williams received his prosthetic training at California State University in Dominguez Hills and worked as a staff prosthetist for Hanger Orthopedic Group in Thousand Oaks, CA. Dennis also holds a degree in Exercise Science and Physical Education from Western Maryland College. His ten years of experience in the O & P field, combined with his 14 years as an amputee gives him the desire to help guide OPAF in the years to come. "In OPAF I have found a wonderful group of people who can really make a difference in the lives of many different people."

Bob Manfredi, Sr., CPO, CPed
Bob Manfredi comes to the OPAF Board of Directors after serving a year on the Advisory Board. His list of accomplishments and spirit of volunteerism within the O & P community is unparalleled. He is an American Board of Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) Certified Orthotist and Prosthetist (CPO) and Certified Pedorthist (C.Ped) and served with distinction as a volunteer for that organization for 25 years. He has also served as a volunteer for the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA), United Cerebral Palsy Association, New Jersey Orthotic and Prosthetic Society, and the Lions International Service Organization. He is a past president of regional chapters for each of these fine organizations. He has served as a volunteer for several other organizations, though our space limitations prevent us from listing all of them. In 1988 he was selected as one of five American orthotists and prosthetists to teach modern O & P techniques in five provinces in Mainland China. In his spare time Bob serves as Executive Director for his own non profit organization, Angels with Limbs, which works to supply New Jersey residents with prosthetic devices. He is the first person elected to the OPAF board as both a director and officer at the same time. OPAF is honored to have Bob Manfredi, Sr. serve on the board of directors.

J. W. "Bill" Limehouse, CP, FAAOP
Bill Limehouse, CP, FAAOP is one of Hanger Orthopedic Groups national upper extremity prosthetic specialists. Bill has worked within the field for over 35 years to help amputees and those with physical disabilities "get on with their lives". Bill served as a volunteer practitioner during the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. He has been very involved with ABC, serving on the examination committee as an examiner, prosthetic chairman, site coordinator, audit member, unique qualifications committee member and examiner training and development director and was instrumental in the redevelopment of the Georgia Society of Orthotists and Prosthetists.

OPAF Executive Director

Robin Burton
Robin Burton, OPAF Executive Director, has brought years of administrative experience, and her personality to OPAF, along with a genuine desire to work towards health and fitness programs for those we serve. She served in a volunteer capacity for OPAF for several years before accepting the position of E.D. Robin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Coker College in Hartsville, SC and has 17 years of funeral home management on her resume. Robin has held leadership positions in both community organizations as well as professional groups, both inside and outside of O & P. OPAF's visibility at state, regional and national meetings has greatly increased under Robin's leadership along with the growth of the First Clinics. "The reality of OPAF's mission comes to us so many times and in so many ways...to help to bring amputees, orthosis wearers, those with limb differences and physical challenges back to a life style level that they may enjoy. We are working to remain vital and integral not only to the O & P industry, but also to the people that we serve."

The OPAF Advisory Board

The Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund, Inc. Advisory Board is comprised of individuals who have been invited to participate in the ongoing work of OPAF. Each member possesses a special talent or field of interest which is a vital part of the volunteer aspect of OPAF. While no formal meetings are held for the OPAF Advisory Board, they each serve to further our programs, our mission and our goals.

The 2008 OPAF Advisory Board Members include:

Darren Kindred - Bucks County Racquet Club Director of Tennis, First Volley Director of Tennis
Jason Wening, MS, CP- Staff Prosthetist with Scheck & Siress in Chicago & Paralympian Gold Medalist in Swimming
Bob Boff– President Emeritus of PEL Supply Company
Justina Smith, CO– Shriners Hospital for Children Director of Prosthetics & Orthotics in Shreveport, Louisiana
Jeffrey Reznick, Ph.D. - Director, Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health with the American Occupational Therapy Foundation

Standards of Excellence and Conflict of Interest Policy Statement

OPAF operates according to the best practices described in Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector. This publication is © 1998 Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

To the end of upholding best practice in nonprofit organization management, the OPAF Board of Directors expects every member of the Board, as well as every OPAF staff member and volunteer, to sign and abide by the organization's conflict of interest policy, and in so doing, avoid situations that create even the appearance or perception of a conflict of interest. A copy of the OPAF conflict of interest policy is available here.

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Service on the OPAF Board of Directors

The Executive Committee of OPAF, as the organization's nominating committee, coordinates nominations to the OPAF Board of Directors, presenting these nominations to the entire OPAF Board each fall.

The required nomination form is available here in Adobe format.

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Nominees should have appropriate background, a history of 501(c)(3) nonprofit committee/ volunteer work alongside a familiarity with and dedication to fundraising, and a strong commitment to OPAF's primary mission: enable individuals with physical disabilities - especially those served by members of the O&P community - to enjoy the rewards of personal achievement, physical fitness, and social interaction.

Responsibilities of each member of OPAF's Board of Directors are these, among others:

attend at least one of OPAF's two face-to-face Board meetings each calendar year;
be empowered to promote and educate others about OPAF's programs and mission;
respect - and hold in confidence when circumstances require - the teamwork and collaborations of OPAF, including its ideas, proposals, and programs;
take pride in the mission of OPAF, building and upholding its integrity and reputation within and beyond the O&P community;
respect the individuals, organizations, and institutions with whom OPAF partners, treating them with courtesy, respect, and civility and empowering them to be part of OPAF's mission;
maintain open and regular communication - via email, phone, and/or face-to-face conversations - with:
- her/his Board colleagues;
- OPAF's Executive Director and Program Coordinator; and
- the individuals, organizations, and institutions with whom OPAF partners.
encourage and solicit, in cooperation with OPAF's Fundraising Committee, individuals, organizations, and institutions to make financial and in-kind contributions to our organization; and
educate individuals, organizations, and institutions about OPAF's mission;
offer constructive feedback to OPAF's Executive Director, Director of Operations, and fellow Board members to improve upon programs, proposals, and administration.