By Tom Scott
PepsiCo Hosts “Sports Spectacular” for Youth With Disabilities
PepsiCo’s campus in Purchase, New York was the most recent site of United Spinal Association’s “Kids Sports Spectacular”—a fun-filled and exciting event for children with varying disabilities that teaches the importance of self-esteem, teamwork, and friendship through participation in wheelchair sports including basketball, softball, tennis, and handcycling. The event, held on Tuesday, October 16th, was hosted by PepsiCo and its in-house enAble Leadership Council—which puts a focus not on the person’s disability, but rather on the individual’s different or varying abilities, whether it is as an employee, a supplier, a partner or a consumer—in collaboration with United Spinal Association’s wheelchair athletes and staff who provided instruction and assisted with sports clinics and other activities.
“This was another successful event thanks to United Spinal’s long-standing commitment to provide adaptive sports to children and adults with disabilities and PepsiCo’s enAble Leadership Council’s community mindfulness in reaching people of varying abilities,” said Marlene Perkins, United Spinal Association’s vice president of Corporate Outreach and Major Gifts. “The Kids Sports Spectacular clinics and other activities and efforts between the business and disability community are clear examples of the importance of teamwork and collaboration on having a positive impact in the lives of people with different abilities. The kids’ smiles and their laughter was enough evidence of a job well done.”
Participants, who ranged in age from 7 to 18, were from the local area schools of CP of West Chester, West Chester School for Special Children, and the BOCES Special Education Isaac Young and Rye Lake Campus schools. After everyone had an opportunity to try out each wheelchair sport and receive instruction from United Spinal athletes, an award ceremony was held that provided each participant with a medal for outstanding participation and a gift bag courtesy of PepsiCo’s enAble Leadership Council.
Another highly successful United Spinal’s Kids Sports Spectacular event was held earlier this year at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA, thanks to the assistance of Shriners Hospitals for Children; Comcast- Spectacor, the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm; Pepsi Bottling of Philadelphia; Wegman Supermarket of New Jersey; and New Mobility magazine. One of the sports featured was Power Soccer, which is played using a power-operated wheelchair on an indoor basketball court. An over-sized soccer ball is pushed with the lower part of the wheelchair from player to player and over the goal line.
United Spinal Association President Paul J. Tobin hopes the clinics have a positive lifelong impact on the kids who participate. “Introducing children with disabilities to wheelchair sports helps to build their life skills and self-esteem, and more importantly, a realization in them that there is life with a disability,” Tobin added.
United Spinal and Eastern Wheelchair Basketball Conference Host Wheelchair Basketball Clinic
United Spinal Association and Eastern Wheelchair Basketball Conference recently hosted a wheelchair basketball clinic for children with disabilities and adults at the Brooklyn Sports Club on Saturday, October 20th, 2007. Special guest Albert King, former NJ Nets player, was in attendance to support the clinic and sign autographs. The wheelchair basketball teams of the Eastern Wheelchair Basketball Conference provided instruction and participated in an All-Star game. Instruction focused on wheelchair movement, dribbling, passing, and shooting. Wheelchairs that are designed for wheelchair basketball were also available to individuals with disabilities who participated in the clinic. Teams included: United Spinal Nets, United Spinal Jr. Nets, Bulova Renegades, Nassau Kings and United Spinal Liberty.
United Spinal Association’s President, Paul Tobin, noted, “It’s always an absolute pleasure to host the wheelchair basketball clinics. The clinics provide a means of leisurely fun, through sports, for people with disabilities-people of all ages can learn and enjoy this adaptive sport. We are also delighted to have Albert King at our clinic.”
Quad Rugby Exhibition in Newark
The United Spinal Jets quad rugby team played an exhibition match October 12th at the Branchbrook Park Roller Rink, 7th Street and Clifton Avenue in Newark.
The Jets inter-squad rugby match took place during the intermission of the women’s Roller Derby bout between the hometown favorite Ironbound Maidens and the Wilmington City Ruff Rollers. This was last home game of the season for the Maidens as they strive to become a member team of the WFTDA-the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. Doors.
Tom Scott is staff editor.
