Contest

Adaptive Sports Ohio's Mobile Beacon Moment

If awarded with a Mobile Beacon Community Grant, how will your organization use the monetary donation?

A Mobile Beacon Community Grant would greatly enhance Adaptive Sports Ohio’s ability to continue our competitive and recreational adaptive sports programs. Since 2009, we have served hundreds of individuals with physical disabilities through community-based and interscholastic adaptive sports opportunities across Ohio. Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, we, like many organizations, have seen a decrease in monetary donations. These donations are crucial to ensuring that we can continue to run our weekly programs and provide all of our athletes with the proper equipment they need to participate. Throughout this pandemic, with the help of Mobile Beacon, we moved some of our annual fundraising events online. Unfortunately, we still had to cancel some of our biggest in-person fundraisers like our 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball tournament. This $10,000 grant would help offset the financial impact of the pandemic, but it will also help us launch a new, innovative program.

How will your organization use the 10 mobile hotspots with free internet service?

This year has been defined by the ability to adapt to new circumstances. Thankfully at Adaptive Sports Ohio, it is what we do best. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we have experienced a greater need to be flexible where we complete our work. Adaptive Sports Ohio has a team of nine staff who utilize Mobile Beacon hotspots often when working remotely, at satellite offices, or out of town at tournaments and events. Currently, our staff is working with slow and insufficient laptops, and just three mobile hotspots. With our organization continuing to grow, the need for updated equipment and additional hotspots has increased. With 2020 creating a difficult fundraising environment this year, it is not in our budget to upgrade our computers or purchase additional hotspots. A grant from Mobile Beacon would provide us the technology we need and enable us to continue investing our limited resources into our programs. With Mobile Beacon’s gift of 10 laptops, 10 hot spots, and free internet, we can stay mobile, guarantee our ability to work remotely more effectively, and stay accessible to the people we serve.

Share Your Story

Adaptive Sports Ohio is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization established to remove barriers to ensure that individuals with physical disabilities have a chance to play, and utilize sport to elevate ability and empower futures. Founded in Wooster, Ohio in 2009, Adaptive Sports Ohio is now the largest organization in Ohio offering community-based and interscholastic adaptive sport opportunities to individuals with disabilities. We have three offices in Ohio (Wooster HQ, Austintown, and a newly opened office in Warrensville Heights) but offer programs in several different locations in Ohio: Cuyahoga, Wayne, Stark, Summit, Lucas and Mahoning Counties. We provide a large variety of both competitive and recreational adaptive sports programs including power wheelchair soccer, sled hockey, strength and conditioning, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, handcycling, track & field, wheelchair softball, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair lacrosse, and an annual summer camp.

Everybody deserves a chance to play. People with physical disabilities have the same passion for sport that the nondisabled population do. The difference is just in how they play the sport. With minor adaptations and specialized equipment, the sidelined can experience all the benefits that sport provide. At Adaptive Sports Ohio, we make those opportunities a reality.