Challenged Athletes Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is an organization that provides grants for training
, competition
and equipment needs to people with disabilities.
It was established in response to below-knee-amputee
endurance racer
Jim MacLaren suffering a devastating second accident while competing in a triathlon
. He was hit by a car during the bike leg and was paralyzed from the neck down. His many friends quickly decided to raise funds for his recovery, and organized the first San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) – an annual fundraising
triathlon event at La Jolla Cove, California, USA.
A group of business men and women from central Florida first approached the Board in the fall of 2006 with an interest in creating a stronger CAF presence on the east coast. After raising $165,000 in seed money at a November Founder’s Club event, a formal chapter agreement was signed in March.
The new Florida
chapter is composed of individuals with a wide-range of professional and athletic experience, mostly from around the Tampa Bay
area. They hope to grow slowly to involve people from every corner of Florida and spread the word about how CAF is helping physically challenged individuals.
so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness
and competitive athletics
. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem
, encourages independence and enhances quality of life
.
in New York City
, Hawaii Revisited; Tour de Cove; Rock on the Green and numerous other events under the banner of Race for a Reason.
who was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Other Well Known Challenged Athletes Include:
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
, competition
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
and equipment needs to people with disabilities.
History
The Challenged Athletes Foundation was founded in 1997.It was established in response to below-knee-amputee
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
endurance racer
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
Jim MacLaren suffering a devastating second accident while competing in a triathlon
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
. He was hit by a car during the bike leg and was paralyzed from the neck down. His many friends quickly decided to raise funds for his recovery, and organized the first San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) – an annual fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
triathlon event at La Jolla Cove, California, USA.
Florida Chapter
The CAF Board of Directors have continued their efforts to increase the organization’s national and international presence by chartering their first chapter organization, CAF-Florida.A group of business men and women from central Florida first approached the Board in the fall of 2006 with an interest in creating a stronger CAF presence on the east coast. After raising $165,000 in seed money at a November Founder’s Club event, a formal chapter agreement was signed in March.
The new Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
chapter is composed of individuals with a wide-range of professional and athletic experience, mostly from around the Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
area. They hope to grow slowly to involve people from every corner of Florida and spread the word about how CAF is helping physically challenged individuals.
Mission
The Challenged Athletes Foundation mission is to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilitiesPhysical disability
A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....
so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
and competitive athletics
Team Zaryen
is a Haitian Amputee soccer team, located in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Zaryen is the Creole word for Tarantula.When asked why the tarantula was chosen to represent the soccer team the players give two answers. First because when a tarantula attacks, it pursues its enemy slowly and is deadly with just...
. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
, encourages independence and enhances quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
.
Vision
It is the vision of Challenged Athletes Foundation:
- To be a recognized leader in a movement through which physically challenged athletes are accepted and respected at the same level as able-bodied athletes;
- To have a great and significant impact on each physically challenged athlete served; and
- To reach out to the physically challenged community by providing inspiration, awareness
AwarenessAwareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. In this level of consciousness, sense data can be confirmed by an observer without necessarily implying understanding. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of...
and mentoringMentoringMentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
.
Events
The Challenged Athletes Foundation holds a number of high profile fund raising events in order to raise money to support disabled athletes to compete in sports. These include CAF events the San Diego Triathlon Challenge; Million Dollar Challenge; Heroes, Heart and Hope Gala held at the Waldorf AstoriaWaldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Hawaii Revisited; Tour de Cove; Rock on the Green and numerous other events under the banner of Race for a Reason.
Athletes
The Challenged Athletes Foundation has enabled a number of disabled athletes to get to the starting line. Amongst these are Sarah ReinertsenSarah Reinertsen
Sarah Reinertsen is an American athlete. She was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii....
who was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Other Well Known Challenged Athletes Include:
- Carlos Moleda
- Cody McCasland
- Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Emmanuel Ofosu YeboahEmmanuel Ofosu Yeboah is an athlete and activist from Ghana. Yeboah was born in 1977 with a severely deformed right leg. In 2001, he rode the 400 miles across Ghana to bring attention to the plight of the disabled in that country...- Evan Morgan
- Jake Frank
- Major David Rozelle
- Oscar Sanchez
- Paul Martin
- Ryan Levinson
- Rudy Garcia-Tolson
Rudy Garcia-TolsonRudy Garcia-Tolson is an athlete on the United States Paralympic team. He competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing in swimming.-Biography:...- Scout Bassett
- Tricia Downing
- Willie Stewart