Du Quoin NubAbility Athletes coach in running for L'Oréal Paris 'Women of Worth” honors
L'Oréal Paris, the global cosmetics company, is sponsoring an 18-day competition called Women of Worth. Stephanie Decker, a mom who lost both legs in a tornado at the family's Indiana home, is among the top three. She also happens to be one of the limb-challenged coaches for the Kuhnert family's NubAbility Athletes program here in Du Quoin.
Her foundation, the Stephanie Decker Foundation, has already donated $2,000 to NubAbility because she was so inspired by the program and has been in Du Quoin to work with kids.
She is one of 10 women being honored by L'Oréal Paris and by voting for her on the L'Oréal Paris web site (lorealparis.com) you have a chance to help Stephanie win. In turn, she will donate another $5,000 to NubAbility.
Stephanie's life was changed forever when a category 4 tornado ripped through her town of Henryville, Indiana. As she sought shelter in the basement with her eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter, the foundation of her house began crumbling-and she threw herself in front of falling debris to save her children from a particularly violent crash. Her choice cracked her ribs, punctured a lung and left her an amputee.
"As much as losing my legs is a tragedy, it could have been a lot worse," Stephanie reflects. "I was being given a second chance. It was time to make a difference."
About The Stephanie Decker Foundation
After a traumatic incident left her without use of her legs, Stephanie Decker founded the Stephanie Decker Foundation to help children with prosthetic limbs participate in sports.
To date, the foundation has raised more than $80,000 to support children with prosthetic limbs in their athletic pursuits. Inspired by her own lifelong involvement in sports, the charity sends amputees to the NubAbility Camp in Du Quoin, Illinois, where they re-learn how to play football and soccer, run track and more.
In 2013, Stephanie appeared before the Kentucky Senate advocating for a bill that would require insurance companies to cover new and refurbished prosthetics. While nearly two million American amputees are fitted with prosthetics, only 20 states require insurance companies to pay for restored prosthetics and refitting.
How to cast your vote...
<p>Go to lorealparis.com on the internet, then to their North America and United States web site. Go to the “Women of Worth” competition on the very bottom of the home page. Open the page and find the profile of Stephanie Decker. Click on her profile, and at the bottom you will see the words “For more information.” It will tell you more about her and at the bottom of the story is a link that says “Vote to Support.” <br />Online voting began Nov. 3, 2014 and runs through Nov. 21, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Votes received after 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 21, 2014 will not be counted. One vote per email address, Facebook and Twitter account per day. All votes are final and cannot be changed following submission. Votes will not be acknowledged by L'Oréal Paris. L'Oréal Paris reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to void any votes it deems to be fraudulent, not cast in conformity with these official rules or otherwise designed to undermine the integrity of the voting process.</p>