The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation started as a grassroots movement by pioneers who refused to accept the long-standing dogma that a spinal cord, once injured, could never recover or be repaired. In 1995, when Christopher Reeve was injured, the APA was one of the first places he and Dana turned. By 1999, the APA and Christopher’s foundation came together and was later named the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which added Dana’s name to its moniker after her untimely death in March 2006.

Meryl Streep has been supporting the foundation since it was renamed in Reeve’s name in 1996, frequently attending their “A Magical Evening” gala. In 1998, she was part of the “Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope” television benefit, which originally aired on ABC. She further joined “Circle of Friends”, which was part of the American Paralysis Association (APA), a non-profit organization founded in 1982 to encourage and support research to find a cure for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. Meryl has been a regular guest on the “A Maigcal Evening” Galas to raise awareness and benefit the Chrisopher Reeve Foundation. In 2007, she received the Dana Reeve Hope Award.