RallyCap Sports, a nonprofit organization devoted to enabling children with disabilities to play sports, held its season kickoff event at the Perry Field House, beginning the program’s events for the spring of 2018.
RallyCap was founded in 1990 by Paul and Margo Hooker, Little League baseball coaches who were upset at the inability of children with disabilities to participate in traditional sports programs. They sought to make the fun, social interaction and physical activity of sports accessible to children who require special accommodations.
RallyCap serves youth requiring different types of assistance due to disability starting from the age of seven, offering special equipment, facilities and coaching in both one-on-one sessions and group gatherings.
The University’s chapter of RallyCap is the organization’s first expansion branch. Founded in 2014, it currently offers football, cheerleading and baseball programs serving over two hundred families in the city of Bowling Green and surrounding area. The group primarily recruits students and staff from the University to serve as “RallyTeam” coaches, organizers and advisors.
One of these student volunteers is Kelly Faeth, a graduate student studying special education and assistive technology. She has volunteered for RallyCap since its founding in 2014 and has been the director of the program since the 2017 fall semester. Her duties as director include planning events such as the season kickoffs and communicating with the University and its surrounding community to ensure the organization is known and its needs are understood.
“One thing that I love about this organization is that it doesn’t matter what major you are or what level of experience you hold. All that matters is if you want to help impact the lives of others,” she said about why she volunteers with the group. “Just by attending one session, you can see how this impacts everyone involved. I believe strongly in what RallyCap sports stands for, and you can see how it’s touched the lives of so many people. We believe that everyone should have an opportunity to play sports.”
To contact the University’s RallyCap chapter for volunteering opportunities and a schedule of future events, visit their website at http://www.rcsbgsu.org/.
