The Power of Community: Snowboarding, Support, and Giving Back
As many of you might or might not be aware, my husband Aaron lost his leg in an accident on our farm in December of 2021. You can read more about it here. Aaron has been pursuing para-snowboarding over the past 12 to 18 months and has huge aspirations to represent his country. One of the biggest things we learned from our experience so far is the value of community, from the time of the accident and beyond our communities both old and new have been there for us more than we could have imagined. One of the communities that supported Aaron so heavily was Disabled Wintersport Australia. Disabled Wintersport Australia helped Aaron to find freedom on snow. The feeling of freedom was not something that came easy after the initial feeling of being trapped in his body after his injury. Thanks to the support of DWA and Aarons love for the snow, he has been offered a full time program to advance his skills in 2024. Without the support of DWA including the amazing guides who have helped Aaron navigate the terrain and taught him adaptive skills, he would not be in this position.
We want to give back to the community who supported us so well. Aaron's sister, Jessikah McCarthy, has decided to participate in Wagga Wagga Takes 2 to fundraise for Disabled Wintersport Australia and give back to them and hopefully provide others from the Riverina the opportunity to also find Freedom on snow. We strongly believe this is a charity that could significantly benefit our community. Disabled Wintersport have a range of options for adaptive snowsports for people with disabilities, including sit skiing and guide-supported activities which for some people may lead to independence on the snow. Josh Chookah Hanlon is just an example of someone who also benefited from DWA’s input and is now a Paralympian.
Using DWA is available through NDIS plans, however must be suitably attached to a goal. Personally, I have had the opportunity to be on a couple of camps supported by DWA. The joy and excitement on someone's face, like a child who is an amputee, as they navigate their way down the slopes and get to the bottom is something truly amazing to witness. It’s a cup-filling moment that's for sure. Watching Aaron pursue his goals on snow is equally inspiring.
Jess has her largest fundraiser, a charity auction dinner for her Wagga Wagga Takes 2 campaign and DWA on the 23rd March. A representative from Disabled Wintersport Australia will be there. We believe this is an opportunity for the community to gain awareness of this charity and its amazing work. If you think you would like to know more or you would like to support this wonderful charity, please feel free to head to the link (https://events.humanitix.com/dwa-charity-auction-dinner-wwt2) and check out details of the charity auction dinner and organise a table or a couple of seats. Massive thanks to our gold sponsors for this event: Zatoma Transport and Dr Anthony Bradshaw and his team from Wagga Orthopaedics and Sports Surgery. This event would not be possible without their support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Jess on 0488968556. We look forward to being able to give back to a community that has supported us so well over the past two years, and we can't thank you all enough for your ongoing support.
Much love,
Tahnee.