As of January 1, 2025 the MW Fund has become part of the Thomas E. Smith Foundation (TESF). This merger will expand our reach and scale. Together, with over 25 years of combined lived experience, TESF President and Co-Founder Thomas Smith and Matt Wetherbee envision an expansion that will enable us to become a nationally recognized hub for SCI care – improving access to essential equipment and therapy, addressing systemic barriers and making quality care the norm, not the exception. Our united team will bring the capacity to serve more individuals, increase the evidence base to improve outcomes for people living with paralysis, and champion efforts to improve the standard of care.
Matt will be taking a role as a Board Member, and MW Fund’s Executive Director, Jenna Labbee, has joined as Senior Engagement Officer. Together, our team will continue our shared mission to support individuals living with paralysis. As one united foundation, we are simply stronger together.
MW FUND MERGES WITH TESF
I started the MW Fund back in 2017 because I knew I had raise awareness, and funds, to keep individuals in the SCI community moving and healthy, and I knew I had a tremendous support system around me who would be willing to help. I could have never dreamed that 8 years later the MW Fund would become a valuable resource for so many individuals living with SCI. We have provided over $450,000 in grants to 50 individuals and have supported SCI research participation. Our reach has expanded to specialized rehabilitation facilities across the U.S., not just in Massachusetts where it all began.
Thank you to the entire MW Fund network including our incredible sponsors donors, vendors, facilities, friends, family members and volunteers. Some of you have been with us since day one, including our Executive Director Jenna Labbee, and we cannot thank you enough.
The MW Fund now has an opportunity to make an even greater impact, and I truly believe by merging with the Thomas E. Smith Foundation, we are stronger together. Please continue to support us on this next phase of our journey!
-Matt Wetherbee
Focus on the Positive
"I think we all know that when you meet Matt Wetherbee and the MW Fund community, you’re meeting people that to me, and I’m sure to all of us, just make us feel like there is good in the world. There’s hope, there’s drive; they are all trying to make their own situation better, but they’re trying to help everyone else in the world that they possibly can while in the process."
- Wyc Grousbeck, Owner of the Boston Celtics