Amidst obstacles posed by COVID-19, Idaho’s Challenged Athletes Foundation remains strong, celebrating a year of grants and programs dedicated to Idaho athletes with permanent physical disabilities.
BOISE, Idaho (May 7, 2020) – The Idaho chapter of the Challenged Athletes Foundation celebrates its one-year anniversary today with a total of $231,538 in grants distributed to 111 Idaho athletes since May 2019. In its first year, the foundation held six major events across the state.
Headquartered in Boise, CAF-Idaho provides funding for training, travel and adaptive sports equipment not covered by medical insurance. The foundation also hosts camps and clinics alongside elite coaches and Paralympians to train new and established athletes as young as 3 years old, across more than 25 different sports. Popular Idaho clinics to-date include biathlon, Nordic skiing, sledge hockey, curling and WCMX.
“CAF-Idaho provides funding and programs that highlight and amplify the tenacity of the adaptive sports community in Idaho,” said Regional Director Jennifer Skeesick. “Our athletes wrote the book on overcoming adversity. What we’re doing is empowering them to continue crushing their goals.”
CAF-Idaho Athletes
Across the state, nearly 600 Idahoans with permanent physical disabilities are members of CAF-Idaho. Their stories not only inspire communities to pursue an active lifestyle, but they serve as powerful reminders that Idaho’s rivers, trails, lakes and mountains are accessible to everyone, regardless of ability.
Meridian resident Chris Manning is a shining example of the perseverance of a CAF-Idaho athlete. In 2017, Chris fell from a 50-foot cliff near Shoshone Falls, suffering multiple injuries including the loss of his left arm. Although it’s been difficult, Chris has maintained his enthusiasm for the outdoors and strives to be the best role model for his sons. Since the accident, Chris has taught his boys to ride a bike, skateboard, paddleboard and sandboard, with more new sports in their future to experience together. Chris recently received a grant for a specialized prothesis to continue paddle boarding across his favorite Idaho lakes.
Jenny Gray of Coeur d’Alene, a high school track and field athlete and collegiate soccer player, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2017 while pregnant with her first child. While pregnant, Jenny endured an above-knee amputation and began chemo shortly after giving birth. With her CAF-Idaho grant for a Össur knee and foot prosthesis, Jenny has returned to her love of running.
Whether it’s a grant for personalized training, a GRIT hiking chair, running prosthesis, hockey sled, hand cycle, basketball wheelchair or sit ski, CAF-Idaho provides a beacon of hope, community and positive impact to hundreds of Idaho athletes.
“No one can afford what CAF provides here in Idaho,” said CAF-Idaho Ambassador and Paralympian Willie Stewart. “My arms alone cost $25,000. No insurance company pays for that, but CAF does. CAF is a game-changer in Idaho.”
To learn more about CAF-Idaho, grants and future programs, visit www.challengedathletes.org/idaho and join the CAF-Idaho Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CAFIdaho/.
About the Challenged Athletes Foundation
The Challenged Athletes Foundation is a world leader in helping people with physical challenges lead active, healthy lifestyles. CAF believes that participation in physical activity at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life. Since 1994, more than $123 million has been raised and over 30,000 funding requests from people with physical challenges in all 50 states and dozens of countries have been satisfied. Additionally, CAF’s outreach efforts impact another 60,000 individuals each year. Whether it’s a $2,500 grant for a handcycle, helping underwrite a carbon fiber running foot not covered by insurance, or arranging enthusiastic encouragement from a mentor who has triumphed over a similar challenge, CAF’s mission is clear: give opportunities and support to those with the desire to live active, athletic lifestyles. To learn more, visit www.challengedathletes.org.
