JMFitness will be highlighted on a new Fox Regional Sports show titled Power of Sports in October. In this post, we reflect on the growth of the program, the benefits for our athletes and mentors, as well as plans for 2018.
This Wednesday was certainly busy for JMF! In addition to implementing our first disABILITY Awareness week for Saints Francis and Clare School in Greenwood, JMFitness was filmed for an episode of the new Fox Regional Sports Network show, Power of Sports. This show will share inspiring stories of people, organizations, and communities connecting through sports to create opportunities for youth. While preparing to film the LPGA Women in Tech event, producer Brandon Verzal reached out to JMFitness after researching adaptive athletic programs in Indianapolis. Our program will be highlighted in the October episode of Power of Sports, which will air on the Indianapolis and Southeast Fox Regional Sports Networks.
This exciting event gave us a chance to reflect on the history of JMFitness. It all started with a single swimming season where athletes could learn and experience the fundamentals of swimming in a safe and noncompetitive environment. The core message of our adaptive athletic program has always been inclusion; JMFitness exists to celebrate the abilities of every athlete that participates.
By pairing mentors with young athletes on a one-to-one basis, the opportunities for relationships to form are endless. We know of mentors who have been invited to birthday parties for their athletes, others who attend graduations, and many who have become part of their athletes’ families. Junior Board member Madeline Anderson, most recently a JMFitness t-ball mentor, said her favorite part of mentoring is, “Getting to see the kids blossom. You see them grow doing things that others might tell them they can’t do. You can see the triumph in their eyes and that’s the best part.”
In looking back over the growth of JMFitness, it is truly remarkable to see how the program has continued to expand. This Sunday, we will partner with the Arsenal Tech High School football team to host our inaugural adaptive football season. This will bring the total number of sports offered by JMFitness to eight. However, we aren’t stopping there. Plans are in place to offer our first soccer sessions in 2018.
JMFitness provides children of all abilities the opportunity to participate in a sport with their friends. If you are interested in being a part of that journey as a mentor or athlete, make sure you check out the program page. As we end every session of JMFitness, on the count of three…1, 2, 3 …JMF!
Post written by:
Courtney Basso
Events and Communications Director