Disabled Sports USA Far West
                     "If I Can Do This, I Can Do Anything!"                     
December 2013
 
Our Mission...
is to provide affordable inclusive physical and recreational activities that build health and confidence. 
 

 
To thank you for your contribution, for every $100 you donate through December 31st, we will enter your name into a drawing for an original custom-made work of art valued at $4,000 donated by Truckee artist Andrew Bolam. 
dsusafw logo-clear background

 Season's Greetings!

 

Every day at our Program Center at Alpine Meadows we witness incredible stories of students who exhibit the astonishing power that skiing in the Sierra snow and sunshine has in promoting independence, mobility, and self-confidence.

 

Hundreds of our participants with disabilities and volunteers work together to make a difference. Their success would not be possible without your generous support. Please keep our high-challenge sports affordable by donating now!

 

Luc Emond is a 14-year-old with severe developmental disabilities and a seizure disorder. His motor function makes standing for long stretches of time difficult, and he sometimes needs the aid of a stroller. But Luc is an avid skier. He racked up a dozen days on the slopes with Disabled Sports last year - an impressive feat for even the most passionate Bay Area resident.

 

Being part of a skiing family, Luc entered the program when he was six years old. He spent his first lesson just acclimating to ski boots on his feet, standing in the snow for sensory integration and balance.

 

"When we got home from that vacation, Luc dropped my hands and walked up the driveway on his own," says Luc's Mom, Deb Faryniarz. "From then on we were totally convinced that skiing was the way to go with Luc."

 

At first, Deb saw the program at Disabled Sports as an opportunity for the family to ski together around Luc who would always use a bi-ski tethered by an instructor. However in the last couple of seasons, a new vision for Luc's skiing came into focus.

 

Luc advanced enough to be able to ski standing up with the aid of a "slider." Together, the family is skiing on intermediate terrain throughout Alpine Meadows Resort.

 

"It was beautiful to see him doing something with us on equal ground," says Deb. 

 

Skiing has helped Luc build on his development in new ways. He's found that skiing has been a fun and motivating approach to physical therapy, and his therapist could tell. Luc's family has noted the positive stimulus of the social setting at Disabled Sports, from the lobby where students sit next to each other putting on their boots to conversations on the chairlift with instructors.
 

We can only continue to create stories like Luc's with your help. Please keep our programs flourishing by making a tax-deductible donation to Disabled Sports USA Far West this holiday season.

 

Donations can  be made on-line at www.DisabledSports.net or mailed to Disabled Sports USA Far West, P.O. Box 8339, Truckee, CA 96162.

 

See you on the slopes!
 
Haakon Lang-Ree, Executive Director 

 

Disabled Sports USA Far West is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We rely upon the generosity of the general public, businesses and participants and their families. Your donation covers the cost of participation for our students in any of our programs. It enables people with disabilities to go beyond their perceived limits gaining a sense of accomplishment that can transform their lives. 

 
Disabled Sports USA Far West                                                                 
P.O. Box 8339, Truckee, CA 96162
2680 Alpine Meadows Rd., Alpine Meadows, CA 96146
(530) 581-4161