VIP would like to take a moment to highlight our amazing lead Physical Therapist, Melanie Wrench, PT, MTP!  Melanie joined the VIP Team in late 2015 and it is safe to say she has been an integral part of all the great things happening at VIP.  Her experience and knowledge have been instrumental in the improvements that patients have gained.  Additionally, Melanie leads our therapy staff, interns, and volunteers with professionalism and a true passion for neuro rehabilitation.   Thank you for all you do Melanie!!!

Read her bio below for a bit more on Melanie's background! 

Melanie, originally from San Diego, received her undergraduate degree from The University of California at Santa Barbara and her Masters degree in Physical Therapy from the University of St Augustine in Florida.  She has 15 years of clinical experience treating patients with a wide variety of neurological conditions and orthopedic injuries.  She has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association since 1998 and was recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) for 10 years. Melanie uses an eclectic mix of manual therapy techniques and a functionally based approach to therapeutic exercise to help maximize her patient’s recovery.  Her goal is to always make therapy a fun and enjoyable experience.  Melanie enjoys family time with her husband and daughters. Together, they enjoy swimming, hiking, traveling, going to the beach, and taking advantage of all that living in San Diego has to offer.

A special THANK YOU to RoadRunner Sports who generously donated athletic apparel for our VIP Staff!  These shirts are comfortable and great for our active staff.

​We are grateful for the support of community businesses like RoadRunner Sports!

Last night at the 2017 Military & Veteran Entrepreneur Awards, hosted by the Rosie Network and the San Diego Business Journal, VIP's President, David Charbonnet was awarded 2017 Best Executive in the non-profit category!   The evening was filled with amazing stories of military and veterans thriving in the business sector and we are proud to have VIP and David featured among them!

This video below of David's acceptance of the award shares his heart for VIP and its patients.

The 2017 awards program recognizes military veterans and their spouses in the San Diego region who have made a significant achievement in their careers in the past year, have a strong record of innovation or outstanding performance in their work and are actively involved in our community.  Individual awards honor veterans who have transitioned to the private sector business community and demonstrated leadership, expertise, innovation and/or community involvement.  

Additionally, winners will be highlighted in the November 6th San Diego Business Journal so keep an eye out! 

VIP is proud to announce that the 3rd Annual Rock & Roll Fundraiser raised $15,510 in support for VIP NeuroRehab!  We are so thankful for the generous donors who made this possible! 

Also, we wanted to share photos from this wonderful event,
courtesy of Marie Monforte Photography!
See them all in our gallery below:

Thank you to the 100+ individuals who attended the 3rd Annual Rock & Roll Fundraiser last night! The event was a huge success and a fun celebration for our patients and supporters.  We also want to thank those who celebrated from afar.  VIP is honored to have the support of so many!  Event photos and total support raised will be shared soon, so keep an eye out!

Lastly, we wanted to share a video message from VIP's President, David, which was shown at the fundraiser.  VIP has had an exciting year and we wanted to share with you all as well! Enjoy!

​The 2017 awards program recognizes military veterans and their spouses in the San Diego region who have made a significant achievement in their careers in the past year, have a strong record of innovation or outstanding performance in their work and are actively involved in our community.

Individual awards honor veterans who have transitioned to the private sector business community and demonstrated leadership, expertise, innovation and/or community involvement.They could be working for a bank, a small retail business or a defense contractor. To be eligible, individuals must reside and work in San Diego County. Individuals must be a veteran or spouse/ex spouse of a veteran or an active service member. Emerging is a category for veterans who have transitioned out of the active service in the past five years.

We are proud to highlight one of our Board Members, Steve Burgher, who participated in the Bomb Squad Fundraiser in Dallas, TX today to raise support for the Bird's Eye View Project and VIP!  

The Bird's Eye View Project was set up because "many charities positively and profoundly impact the lives of Veterans and First-Responders, but they need a bigger platform and more funding to share their story and highlight the needs of those they serve. Our project will showcase a series of BIG events that will raise BIG awareness and funding for charity."

We are proud of Steve for his work in supporting Veterans and First Responders! Here is what he had to say about joining the fundraiser:

Why I joined the Bomb Squad:
It is a privilege to be a member of the "Bomb Squad", supporting the efforts of the Birds Eye View project to draw attention to the needs of Veterans and First-Responders, and the men and women who work to address those needs.   

Simultaneously I am jumping to support my friend and medically retired Navy SEAL David Charbonnet and his work with VIP NeuroRehabilitation (VIP).  David is the president of VIP.  His work at VIP started initially as a patient after he sustained a spinal cord injury and subsequent paraplegia during a parachuting accident with his SEAL Team in 2011 in preparation for a deployment.  VIP is a non-profit organization in San Diego, California, with a mission to provide top quality neuro rehabilitation to disabled military veterans, children, and to ALL who are in need.  

The jump is symbolic of being "all in" for those who have given of themselves to defend and protect our freedoms and the security we enjoy as a nation and within our home communities. 

VIP is honored to have the support of the Quad Foundation for one of our newest patients, Yi.  

Yi is a student at UCSD, working to achieve his PhD in Physics.  He dreams to become a teacher after graduation and enjoys being a TA, which he has done for 5 years.  Yi is also working on this thesis research and expects to graduate  2019/2020.  

In January 2017, Yi suffered a spinal cord injury while skiing.  He attended Sharp for acute rehabilitation earlier this year and now has joined VIP for continued therapy.    Yi gives his all each and every day at therapy. 

The support of the Quad Foundation will make a huge difference to Yi and his family as his parents left their jobs and moved to San Diego to help him recover. 

If you would like to support Yi as well, please contact us at office@vipneurorehab.org. 

UPDATE (6/5/2017) VIP is proud to update that the Integra Foundation has also supplied a scholarship for Yi to continue therapy!  We are thankful to be supported by a generous community in San Diego who simply wants to help the disabled in San Diego. 

UPDATE (7/31/2017) VIP is proud to report that the David C. Copley Foundation has also supplied a scholarship for Yi to continue therapy at VIP! It is amazing to see all those who have supported Yi and his journey to recovery.