ARTICLE
Nation’s Largest Free Fun Day for People with Disabilities Celebrated Healthful Living at 8th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities BOCA RATON, Fla. (March 14, 2016) – The American Disabilities Foundation emphasized healthful living and quality of life issues at its 8th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities. The nation’s largest free, one-day event for people with special needs, took place Saturday, March 12, at scenic Spanish River Park in Boca Raton, Florida. With 500 volunteers helping assist nearly 5,000 children, teens, adults and wounded warriors in attendance, this year’s guests were introduced to a variety of learning opportunities, health assessments and sporting events, said Jay Van Vechten, Executive Director of the American Disabilities Foundation, parent organization of the Bash. “Our hope was to inspire guests to recognize the true potential of their abilities, instead of focusing on their disabilities,” he said. Among the myriad activities, guests and caregivers with neuro-muscular challenges, such as Parkinson’s disease, learned dance techniques from dance professionals from the Boca Ballet Theatre. Participants discovered that dancing, even with challenges, can improve core strength, range of motion and self-confidence. Other programs were designed to offer guests the chance to learn new skills, to become more independent, to improve self-esteem, increase motivation, improve mood, reduce stress and even lower blood pressure. On Spanish River Park’s expansive oceanfront beach, the City of Boca Raton provided roll out mobility mats for the day to make the beach accessible for those using mobility devices. Bash guests, many visiting the beach for the first time in their lives, discovered games and activities designed and supervised by professional recreational therapists from Memorial Hospital, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital at the Delray Medical Center. Games on the beach and in the park were under the direction of former New Orleans Saints NFL Linebacker Ray Shipman, manager of Adaptive Sports and Recreation at Memorial Rehabilitation Institute. Shipman provided participants with new options in low impact sports created exclusively for people with disabilities. Wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball were among the highlights. Assisting the professionals was a team of physical therapy students from Nova Southeastern University. Boca’s famed YMCA Aquatics Program provided professional swim instructors and lifeguards who helped guests swim and enjoy gentle surfing experiences close to shore. Nine water wheelchairs allowed participants to transfer from their own chairs into water accessible chairs that could roll them safely and securely into the sea. For those unable to participate in any of the beach activities, Michigan Lake Products constructed an accessible viewing stand for the day, placed close to the dunes. Wheelchair users were able to park and enjoy all that unfolded before them, including overhead champion kite flying. For the first time ever, the Boating & Beach Bash provided Bash attendees with a chance to get their blood pressure taken by nursing professionals from the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and pharmacy students from Nova Southeastern and Palm Beach Atlantic Universities. Dental students and their professors provided complimentary dental screenings as well. Guests and their caregivers, were able to chat with medical professionals about their health concerns and medications, while picking up free wellness materials to bring home with them. With the support of 2016 Bash sponsors, including title sponsor, Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Family Foundation, along with TD Bank, the EM Lynn Foundation and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, everyone’s favorite Bash offerings were firmly back in place, beginning with free admission to Spanish River Park. Guests enjoyed a complimentary barbecue lunch with beverages donated by PepsiCo. On the Intracoastal Waterway families got to enjoy boat rides aboard 20 yachts, loaned for the day by their generous owners. All boating activities were supervised by the U.S. Coast Guard. Throughout the park, more than a dozen costumed action heroes, outfitted by Costume World, mingled with guests, along with clowns, face painters, and a half dozen musical performers. A “Kids’ Fun Zone,” sponsored by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital was very popular with youngsters, while DJ’s with Cerebral Palsy played popular dance music, as service dogs and miniature therapy ponies wandered among the guests. Even Ronald McDonald was on hand giving out toys and doing magic tricks to the delight of young and old alike.