Most of you already know, but here's the background. A friend saw an advertisement on TV last October '22 looking for families of children with CP or other significant disabilities and/or sicknesses. I checked it out, applied, had a very long (one hour or more) conversation, and then was told, they do their best to match the child with a college team sport but sometimes there's not just a good match out there.
Well, I got the call in February that they had matched Grace. Then in March another call that they would hook us all up together. Our first practice was in April. Grace has been matched through #teamimpact with the UMASS Corsairs, Women's volleyball team. I'm so excited for her and them and the lasting relationships that will come out of this two-year commitment. In April, our first meet and greet at practice was on a Tuesday night from 5-7 pm; and I had been talking it up to Grace for some time. When she got there and saw all the ladies, and being in a big wide open space, her smile was beaming. And guess what, it was all that I imagined. She walked in with her walker, greeted everyone with her smile and fist bumps and quickly she began to have friends. It was an experience like no other.
Our second practice was a week later and sadly the last of practices for the spring. Again, Ms. Grace was the star of the show and this time, Mom and Dad backed out a little to let Grace have the experience with her new friends. Grace has been s
igning 'friends' to let people know of her new friends. She has already gotten a text message from a teammate after practice and a video as well. The goal over the summer is to keep in contact via emails, photos, and Zoom calls. Hopefully, they'll still be a few girls that live in the area and we will do our best to connect outside of the court.
It's not just about Grace being their teammate on the court, but also outside. I'm hoping teammates will be able to come out to dinner with us to get to know Grace better and the things she enjoys (she loves going out to eat!) as well as watching her surf this summer.
This whole experience is something that I am glad Grace is going to be a part of. It'll be memorable for sure. Cheers to #teamimpact and #UMASSDartCorsairs
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