Utah
Nonprofit pushing Utah athletes with disabilities forward
Estimated read time: 4-5
minutes
MURRAY— For Bear Osoro, having a stroke when he was a baby didn’t stop him from wanting to participate in football, basketball, and from running around and playing like any other kid — even if it was difficult for him to maneuver some parts of his body.
When the athlete was just 7 years old, he especially started having a passion for cycling and biking. But it wasn’t cheap to get him the instruction and technology he needed. In fact, many adaptive bikes and snowboards can cost upward of $10,000, according to his mother, Mary Beth Osoro.
That was when Summit County-based Wasatch Adaptive Sports stepped in, a nonprofit organization that uses instruction and adaptive technology to educate and encourage Utah athletes with disabilities to participate in recreation programs.
“He used to never want to ride his bike; it was hard and frustrating. And with his peers who were riding their bikes, Bear never was able to do a balanced bike, because he can’t hold it. He wasn’t when he was younger, he couldn’t hold on,” Mary Osoro said. “Now, when we’re at a park and he sees other kids riding their bikes, he goes, ‘I want to ride my bike.’ And now he has the confidence to do what other kids his age are doing.”
Founded in 1977, the nonprofit provides instructors, lessons and adaptive technology for those who have different disabilities, having helped over 700 Utahns participate in recreational sports last year — 96% of which were on scholarships, according to the nonprofit’s press release.
To help fund Wasatch Adaptive Sports’ scholarships, instructors, and technology, the nonprofit is hosting a “Hustle” fundraising event from July 15 to Aug. 19, where the organization’s community will set goals in their personal recreation and fundraising.
The Hustle’s goal is for the community members in Wasatch Adaptive Sports to collectively raise $25,000 and cover 25,000 miles.
As of July 27, donors, volunteers, and athletes have raised over $15,000 from 176 different donors in support of Wasatch Adaptive Sports’ programs, which will help others also receive the instruction and equipment they need, according to Don Webber, Wasatch Adaptive Sports’ communications manager.
“Every dollar, you know, it goes right back into the program delivery, directly supporting our students. Even things like student scholarships, equipment, staff, and instruction, infrastructure — stuff like that,” Webber said. “It’s cool to see our students want to want to pay forward and kind of spread the word about us.”
And for Bear Osoro, he and his mother were especially inspired to donate during the Hustle — raising over $3,000 from 35 different donors.
Bear Osoro in particular wanted to help raise money for other kids like him because he realizes that not every kid can have a special bike or special instruction that could accommodate disabilities, his mother added.
“The reason why we’re able to do it (the fundraising) is because we build a community, and we see that for us, frankly, like the support and understanding is really important,” Mary Osoro said. “What is going to help him be successful is people that understand his disability and are rooting for him, and he is going to want to be involved in whatever other people are doing.”
Much of the money is raised through promoting the nonprofit on social media, showing how the organization has benefited the athletes, Mary Osoro said.
The fundraising goals are also often matched with recreation goals, according to Camron Gabler, a Wasatch Adaptive Sports volunteer instructor and athlete; Gabler committed to biking one mile for each $20 he raised — and he commits to raising $5,000 by the end of the fundraising event.
And Wasatch Adaptive Sports has had no small impact on Gabler’s life either, he added, noting that the organization gave him a huge boost of self-confidence in his ability to ski. He was born with spina bifida.
“Being disabled, personally, has been a great challenge in my life. I feel like they (Wasatch Adaptive Sports) have helped me overcome a lot of those challenges, both in a physical sense, as well as just the emotional, self-confidence and social aspects of that,” Gabler said. “Being able to overcome that and then helping other people do the same through their programs is what I find most fulfilling about it. And that’s kind of why I choose to keep participating in it.”
One of the most worthwhile parts of the nonprofit, Webber said, is that “it’s really cool to see students progress from when they first come to us.”
“They’re like, ‘I didn’t even know that I could skate or bike. I didn’t know this was an option for me. I didn’t know that these programs existed, to progressing toward like expert-level skiers,’” Webber said.
“I’m just so happy there’s an organization like this that helps people access outdoors, because all of us able-bodied people don’t realize how hard it is to even just sometimes get someone to teach you if you have special abilities, or get the equipment or get to the trailhead,” Mary Osoro said.
“We’re so happy to help raise awareness and get as many people to donate because I feel like even if they donate $5, they know about Wasatch Adaptive Sports and it’s on their radar.”