Gas South Partner Spotlight: Shepherd Center

In honor of World Spine Day, recognized each year on Oct. 16 to raise awareness about spinal cord pain, injury and disability, we’re using this week’s blog to highlight Atlanta’s Shepherd Center Rehabilitation, one of our 10 Fuel For Good Allies working to support the Georgia community.

Shepherd Center focuses on rehabilitating those living with complex spinal cord and brain injuries, traumatic stroke and other neurological conditions, and Gas South is proud to have a long-standing charitable partnership with this important organization. Last year, they were one of 10 nonprofits to share a $3.7 million donation from Gas South in our efforts to support the communities we serve.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be one of Gas South’s Fuel For Good allies, especially knowing the incredible work they do throughout the community,” said Ali Gray Prickett, Philanthropy Officer for Shepherd Center.

“With so many deserving organizations making a difference,” she said, “it means the world to us that Gas South has chosen to put their support behind Shepherd Center as one of their top philanthropic priorities.”

Shepherd Center was first formed in 1975 in response to a lack of spinal rehab facilities in Atlanta. Back then, you’d have been hard-pressed to find such a facility anywhere in the Southeastern U.S.—a hard fact James Shepherd and his parents, Harold and Alana, would become painfully aware of in 1973.

Soon after graduating college, James Shepherd, just 22 at the time, suffered a severe spinal injury while body surfing at a beach in Brazil that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After he was treated there and made it back to his home in Atlanta, he and his parents discovered his long road to recovery wouldn’t be possible at the local hospital, so he was relocated to a facility in Colorado.

“It was just like you flipped a light switch,” said Harold Shepherd in a video interview about the high level of care his son would receive in Colorado. “It was night and day. Everybody said, you know, there should be something like that created in the Southeast.”

After four months of rehabilitation, James was able to walk out of that facility with a cane and leg brace. And when he returned to Atlanta, he and his parents joined forces with Dr. David Apple to create Shepherd Center, recognized today as the largest specialized care hospital of its kind in the Southeast.

Among the many specialized rehab services they offer, Shepherd Center also focuses on care for adolescents, which falls in line with Gas South’s purpose to support children in need.

“Gas South’s unwavering support plays an essential role in the success of Shepherd Center’s adolescent program,” Prickett said. “This commitment directly impacts our ability to help adolescent patients regain independence and lead fulfilling lives. Thanks to Gas South’s generosity, including the provision of a bus for therapeutic outings, we can offer critical recreation therapy and other transformative services. Their belief in our mission fuels our dedication to providing hope and healing, ensuring that we continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.”

Thanks for reading about our partnership with Shepherd Center. We look forward to continuing this relationship with them and all our Fuel For Good Allies—it’s just one more way we’re striving to Be A Fuel For Good.