Thanks to the generous donation from Variety Children’s Charity and in conjunction with the Wachiay Friendship Centre, SUP4ALL is pleased to announce it will be offering adaptive stand up paddle boarding in the Comox Valley. Using this donation, SUP4ALL has purchased adaptive paddle boards, support equipment and life jackets.
SUP4ALL is a social-impact project that provides access to adventure-based activities for people living with disabilities. The project is offered through the non-profit Wachiay Centre. SUP4ALL’s vision is to provide an all-inclusive environment for clients from all walks of life. Through creative and innovative adventure programming, SUP4ALL hopes to challenge society’s views on “ability”.
Certified staff and volunteers will instruct participants on how to use the equipment in a fully inclusive paddling program. With support from donors, all SUP4ALL programs and adventures are subsidized, minimizing the cost to make it free of charge to all participants.
Bobby Boyd, the creator of SUP4ALL and an FASD Key Worker at Wachiay, says it has been a wonderful beginning to the program. Participants and parents are giving excellent reviews. One parent says, ‘This is truly inclusion.’ Josephine, another parent, says: “My nine-year-old son has been dropped off in his wheelchair into many programs, and he has to watch his peers playing around him and because of his mobility can’t participant in the play. When I saw my son out on the lake on the adaptive paddle board with Bobby and some friends he invited, that is inclusion.”
“This experience of inclusion continues into the classrooms and community, as when individuals experience an adventure together the friendship and supports continue,” Boyd said. “We want to provide universal access to adventure-based activities to all clients from all walks of life in spite of physical, cognitive, social ability, and financial resources. We believe that adaptive outdoor recreation improves quality of life by bringing communities together and connecting individuals with nature.”
Who is Adaptive Stand up Paddle for?
“Our participants and their needs are as varied as the coastline we paddle together,” Boyd said. “From children to adults, we support everyone living with a variety of barriers, including cognitive and physical disabilities, mental health considerations, injuries and illnesses. Whether someone lives with autism or FASD, epilepsy, paraplegia or cancer, we can help them explore and experience nature.”
SUP4ALL is raising funds to purchase an SUP trailer so that it can transport paddle boards and adaptive gear.
“We have successfully found accessible and wheel chair friendly launch sites,” Boyd said. “Now we are in need of a SUP trailer to transport our adaptive paddle boards to safe and inclusive launch points.”
To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/sup4all
FMI: www.sup4all.ca.
Facebook page is www.facebook.com/sup4all.ca/
Email Boyd at bobby@sup4all.ca or call him at 250-871-0803.