EDD Adaptive Sports Wins Grant from Community Foundation

ONEONTA—EDD Adaptive Sports was selected as a grant recipient in the Community Foundation of Otsego County’s 2023 Award Cycle. The grant supports EDD Adaptive Sports’ free programs in Central New York for athletes with disabilities. EDDAS programs encourage children and adults with disabilities to get active, build skills and make social connections. Seventy-five local athletes will benefit from participating in various programs including rowing, hiking, pickleball and yoga.

“The grant award from the Community Foundation of Otsego County allows EDD Adaptive Sports to continue offering free, high-quality adaptive sports programs in our community and to promote inclusion through sports. When athletes, families, and volunteers come together to play, they develop bonds and look forward to seeing one another. That sense of belonging is significant for a community that is too often excluded,” said Executive Director Gretchen Owens.

EDDAS is a regional leader in adaptive sports and a chapter of Move United, the national leader in community adaptive sports. They have a 25-year track record of success bringing together athletes with disabilities and local volunteers to enjoy playing sports together. Partnering with local institutions like SUNY Delhi, SUNY Oneonta, and Hartwick College, and organizations like Otsego Area Rowing, EDDAS offers a wide variety of activity including team sports and lifetime sports like biking, rowing and yoga. Program activities are designed to be flexible so that they can be adapted to each unique participant.

Individuals with cognitive, physical and/or developmental disabilities participate with EDD Adaptive Sports. Their programs reach athletes with disabilities at every skill level, from novice to advanced. No experience is necessary to participate and no one ages out. It is a top priority for participants to feel a sense of belonging in adaptive sports programs as well as in the broader realm of sports. Individuals with disabilities do not have access to the same sports programs that are readily available to the general population.

“I can’t tell you how much my daughter and both her father and I have enjoyed the wonderful opportunities she has had to meet new people, participate in activities that she would not otherwise be able to and feel accepted and capable,” expressed one mother.