Sportable Grant Supports Little Spokes

Luca, who was born with spina bifida, was just three years old when he came to his first Sportable adaptive sports experience day. He had a blast playing wheelchair basketball with the “big kids,” and since then, Luca has been a regular at Sportable programming including road racing, swimming, archery and, of course, basketball. Now, at age eight, Luca is overjoyed to be playing on Sportable’s first competitive 13-and-under wheelchair basketball team—Spokes Prep—affectionately called the “Little Spokes.” 

The Kiwanis Club of Richmond has been making grants to Sportable for several years to support adaptive sports opportunities for young people. This year’s grant for $2,500 supports Luca’s team, and thanks to our investment, Luca and his teammates are travelling to regional tournaments. They are experiencing not just competition, but also camaraderie and community, while growing in confidence on and off the court. “I love Sportable because it is fun,” says Luca. “I like playing basketball the most. I like that everyone looks just like me.” 

“We are so grateful for the Kiwanis Club of Richmond’s recent grant award to support Sportable youth wheelchair basketball,” says Hunter Leeman, executive director of Sportable. “Parents and youth athletes who participate in our youth wheelchair basketball program report that their participation improves their quality of life, as well as their physical and mental health; Kiwanis Club of Richmond makes that possible!” 

Without Sportable, ninety-seven percent of Sportable’s adult and youth athletes say they could not participate in sports. Our Club turns the “could not” into “can and do.” We are honored to help young wheelchair basketball players like Luca and his fellow Little Spokes have fun, set and achieve athletic and fitness goals, break personal and societal barriers, and build their best lives through the transformative power of adaptive sports.