"One-time diver Andy Leaf honored for enabling the disabled" April 7, 2006

Longtime Laguna Beach resident Andy Leaf was recently honored by Wyngs, When You Need Group Support, a spinal cord injury support organization, at their spring event fashion event Sunday, April 2 in Beverly Hills. Leaf was presented with the Stephen Aroff Memorial Award for his contributions to the disabled community. This award is presented to the individual who has most successfully overcome the challenges of his or her disability impairment to become a role model and inspiration to WYNGS and the disabled community at large. Leaf became a quadriplegic in 1964 when he broke his neck in a diving accident, and has since run several small businesses and gone on to earn his master's degree in counseling psychology from Pepperdine University. From 1995 - 2003, Leaf served as president of the SEED Institute, a non-profit business Incubator for disabled entrepreneurs. His personal experience of being in a chair, coupled with his business and educational background, was invaluable in assisting clients overcome their psychological and physical barriers to self-employment. Leaf is currently working with another nonprofit organization that he founded, the Seed Business Network. His business-life coaching service, available through their website (www.seedbiznet.org) uses a holistic approach to help people with disabilities develop the social and life skills they need to be successful in business.