CAF Announces Access for Athletes Grants

The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), San Diego, California, announced the distribution of more than $1 million in grants that will benefit 625 athletes with disabilities in 49 states (and the District of Columbia) and 20 countries through its Access for Athletes program. The funding--totaling $1,077,207--will pay for adaptive equipment (handcycles, sportschairs, running prostheses, etc.), training and coaching, and competition expenses that will enable physically challenged athletes of all ages and abilities take part in life-affirming sports.

"This is a watershed moment in CAF's history," said Jeffrey Essakow, president of the CAF Board of Directors. "Fifteen years ago, a group of friends came together on a San Diego beach to raise money so a friend who was paralyzed in a triathlon accident could regain his freedom. We raised $45,000 that first year. Now, with this latest distribution of more than $1 million in grants, we are literally changing lives all over the world."

Despite a trying year when CAF's San Diego headquarters building was destroyed in a fire and its top fundraising event, the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, was canceled due to the October 2007 San Diego wildfires, the determination and commitment of CAF's fundraisers, donors, and sponsors still enabled the organization to fund a record number of grants, the organization said. Highlights of CAF's 2008 grant distribution include:

92 percent of grant requests received by CAF were approved. 63 percent were new grantees. 43 percent reported an income of less than $20,000 per year. 77 percent of grantees were men; 23 percent were women. All ages were represented (137 grantees under the age of 18; 17 older than 55). Most requested items were basketball chairs (105); competition expenses (176); coaching and training expenses (69); and, handcycles (59). " Thanks to its ongoing partnership with Ossur, CAF was able to approve grants for nine prosthetic running feet.

"CAF exists to help bridge the economic barriers to participation in sports for physically challenged athletes," said Virginia Tinley, CAF's executive director. "However, we want to make sure that the people who receive our grants really need our help. Each application is carefully reviewed by our staffand scored using a custom-designed software program. The last thing we want is to provide a piece of equipment to someone who can afford it on their own, or will let it gather dust in the garage."

Since 1994, CAF has raised more than $16 million and provided direct financial assistance to more than 3,300 athletes around the world, according to the organization. CAF's other programs--Catch a Rising Star (mentoring and fitness for people with disabilities); Operation Rebound (helping servicemen and women permanently injured in Iraq and Afghanistan "get back in the game"); and Reach High (outreach to educate our communities about "what is possible")--combine to touch an additional 65,000 people per year.

"It just costs more for persons with disabilities to compete in sports, and the funds and equipment distributed by CAF make a critical difference," said Tommy Knapp, a CAF board member and member of USA Triathlon's Physically Challenged National Team. "Thanks to CAF, more and more athletes with physical challenges are getting into the game each year. I am proud to be part of a cause that helps so many of my fellow challenged athletes participate in the sports that make us whole."

For more information about CAF and its programs, visit www.challengedathletes.org

CAF Announces Access for Athletes Grants

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