Students from West Elementary School meet their mentor, Paralympic Gold Medalist Mary Allison Milford
Colorado Springs, CO - March 21, 2012 - The 2012 Paralympic Year is underway and U.S. Wheelchair basketball player and 2008 gold medalist Mary Allison Milford is meeting some very special fans. The fourth-grade classroom of Ms. Ann Yenne at West Elementary School in Colorado Springs, CO, are taking field trip this Friday, March 23, to watch their mentor coach a junior team in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) national championships.
Since October, Milford has been communicating with Yenne's class as a mentor on topics ranging from goal-setting to fair play through Classroom Champions, a non-profit organization founded by 2010 Olympic gold medalist Steve Mesler that connects Olympians and Paralympians with high need classrooms around the nation. The program targets elementary and middle schools where at least 50% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Each month Milford sends video messages to Yenne's classroom, which is one of 28 selected from hundreds of applications, focusing on a specific topic. In her February video about Respect, Milford told students "people constantly told me that I couldn't do something because I was too small or too weak." She continues that students need to respect not only other people but also themselves. Mary Allison is continuing the Classroom Champions themes of respect and community by coaching junior wheelchair basketball teams and being a role model for kids on and off the court. Media are encouraged to view Milford's videos to the students on the Classroom Champions’ YouTube page. Interviews with Yenne's classroom can be arranged by contacting Amanda Bird at PR@classroomchampions.org. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Classroom Champions is seeking donations from the community to support their local classroom. Donations will directly help purchase products and tools to help implement the program. |
