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 Posted Friday, October 15, 2010 |
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Friday, October 15, 2010
Posts: 1,
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I'm writing in a desperate attempt to ask for your help.
Our son, Benjamin, was nominated to compete for the Sports Illustrated Kids "Sports Kid of the Year" award for 2010. The selection process is based on academics, community service and, of course, sports activities.
Ben was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when he was a year-and-a-half old and has been confined to a power wheelchair since then. He's grown into a bright and outgoing young man, and has not let his disability get in the way of his dreams. On the contrary, Ben has had straight A's in school since kindergarten, and has his own non-profit organization, "Bens Mends", which collects used and abused books, repairs them, and then donates the repaired books to other non-profit organizations that help women, children and the elderly. He's also a patient ambassador for the Tampa Shriner's Hospital and a spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Junior Achievement. His greatest thrill, however, is playing power wheelchair soccer. He is the captain of the Tampa Thunder power wheelchair soccer team, and has been on the team since it's inception seven years ago. The sheer thrill of the game is only matched by the joy of having a common goal with a group of friends who share in the pride of victory and the disappointment of defeat. The seven athletes on the Tampa Thunder team actually travelled to Vancouver, B.C. last weekend to compete in the "America's Champions Cup" tournament, in which the top 4 U.S. teams competed against the top 4 Canadian teams and each other. The Tampa Thunder finished SECOND in the competition, and Ben actually won "MVP" of the tournament, voted on by the seven coaches from the other teams the Thunder competed against.
Having said all of that, here's where we need your help!
The next round of the SI SportsKid of the Year competition involves on-line voting for the semifinalists from now through noon on Monday, October 18. Anyone can vote at www.sikids.com/skoty10 and CAN VOTE AS OFTEN AS THEY WANT! The ultimate winner will be chosen from the SI Kids editorial board (from the three finalists who receive the most votes).
To have Ben win as the SI Kids SportsKid of the year would be an amazing feat on so many different levels. What a great opportunity for kids (and families) across the country to see that those with disabilities are not defined by how they get around, but by what's in their hearts. One of Ben's "missions" in his life is that when people meet him they walk away saying "wow....you're not who I thought you would be". With your help, we can help show that a disability is not a disqualification.
And, since this IS "Sports Illustrated", it would be an incredible way to spread the word about power wheelchair soccer to those who may not be aware it exists. Tampa Bay is known for it's amazing teams, and we'd like to have the Tampa Thunder included in the ranks of the Rays, the Lightning, the Rowdies and, of course, the Buccaneers! We can't tell you what an incredible impact the game has made in our lives, and I'm sure that there are future athletes across the country who need to know about power soccer.
I'm asking for any help you can give us in getting people to click on the link and vote. There's no log-in required, no e-mail address to give...just go to the web site, click on Ben's "button" and submit. It's that easy, but there's not much time!!
To learn more about power soccer and Ben, please visit www.tampathunder.org
Thanks for your help!
Jim Carpenter
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