ABOUT SMF > History
"Some of the best doctors in the world were telling me there weren't many medically established treatments other than rest. They also weren't consistently collaborating to address this pervasive problem. I knew something could be done." In July 2004, just four months after the injuries Steve sustained as a result of the Bertuzzi Incident, Steve's contract with the Avalanche expired, and he was on his own to hire doctors, specialists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation therapists, and trainers to rehabilitate from his injuries and regain his NHL career. Despite limited financial resources, Steve was able to assemble an all-star team of many of the world's leading doctors and specialists in this area and they immediately began working together, with the goal of rehabilitating Steve completely and a return to the NHL.
Years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance ensued, with thousands of hours spent in the gym, on the ice, in doctors' offices, with rehab specialists, and researching all available leads that could help enable him to recover completely from his injuries.
When Steve's doctors started telling him that despite remarkable efforts and progress over many years he would not be medically cleared to return to his NHL career, Steve started work on this foundation. Equipped with everything his doctors and he had learned together after spending over five years on the cutting-edge of concussion diagnosis and treatment, Steve believed strongly it would be an enormous lost opportunity not to share this knowledge with others, and set out to continue his pursuit to make real progress in the areas of concussion prevention and treatment, and to significantly help the people and players coming after him.
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SMF Founder, Steve Moore
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Work began on SMF's founding in 2009. The establishment and incorporation of The Steve Moore Foundation followed in 2010, and was formally certified by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as an officially registered Charity under Canada's Income Tax Act in early 2011. Fundraising work ensued with the co-founding of the Smashfest Celebrity Ping Pong charity event in 2012, along with website development and plans for the first annual SMF Concussion Conference to bring together professional athletes, Olympians and the world's experts in this field, which progressed through 2012-13. The foundation officially launched publicly in 2013, and achieved US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in 2014.