The Shepherd Center, a neurorehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, has announced an $80 million commitment from the Marcus Foundation.

The largest gift to the hospital since its founding in 1975 will enable it to add capacity and provide transformative care to more patients with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions stemming from a life-altering injury or diagnosis. 

Longtime supporters Bernie and Billi Marcus awarded their first grant to the center in 1988 to fund construction of the Billi Marcus Building. The foundation also funded the creation of the Marcus Community Bridge Program, which supports outpatient care, and the SHARE Military Initiative, for U.S. service members suffering from traumatic brain injury. The Marcuses have both served on the center's board.

"Billi and Bernie believed in us from the beginning as we dreamed to do the impossible, establishing a specialized rehabilitation program following the catastrophic accident our son, James, experienced," said the center's co-founder and board chair Alana Shepherd. "With the Marcus Foundation's generosity, we were able to grow from a singular focus on patients with spinal cord injury to now also providing life-restoring care for patients with brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological disorders."

(Photo credit: Shepherd Center)