St. Francis hosts Beautiful Lives Project basketball camp
Sep. 26—LORETTO — Tiffany S. took a bounce pass from a member of the St. Francis University Red Flash men's basketball team on Monday and squared up like a pro to take a shot from the paint as players and coaches cheered her on.
She was one of nearly two dozen participants in the Beautiful Lives Project camp at the school.
"I love it," Tiffany said as she stepped back in line to take another turn.
The event was held for local adults with disabilities.
"It's important to allow individuals with disabilities these opportunities to experience sports and to create friendships that can last for their lifetimes," Beautiful Lives co-founder and blind sports analyst Bryce Weiler said.
Weiler said adults are typically left out of these sorts of events, which is why it's crucial to include them.
He helped start the program after getting his own chance at a sporting experience when he sat on the University of Evansville men's basketball bench from 2010 through 2014 during his college career.
"I wanted to allow individuals with disabilities the opportunity to have their own life-changing moments and experiences," Weiler said, "and make friendships that can help them to overcome the obstacles and challenges that they face in their lives."
The Beautiful Lives Project creates free immersive events open to all ages that aims "at defeating isolation within the disabled community and sparking deeper conversations about the value of integrating individuals with disabilities into the workforce," according to the website.
The group works with sports teams, companies and other organizations to host custom events to achieve their goals, while also generating long-term action that creates a better quality of life for people with disabilities and breaking down social biases.
Beautiful Lives teamed up with St. Francis because men's basketball head coach Rob Krimmel and Weiler have known each other since 2016.
"The passion Bruce has for helping others in truly contagious," Krimmel said.
There were four stations on Monday manned by players and coaches from the SFU team who taught the individuals numerous basketball skills from shooting and passing to dribbling and defense.
The camp lasted about an hour, and every few minutes the groups of participants rotated to new areas.
Krimmel said the event was a good opportunity for the community members to interact with the players and coaches, especially because at a game access is limited.
He added that this was a prime example of the university's motto "Become that someone" at work, noting that memories were being made.
For Red Flash player Darian Callaway, taking part in the event was a joy.
"Anytime I can help people less fortunate, I think it's a blessing," he said.
Many camp participants were brought to the campus by local agencies, such as Ganister Station Adult Day Services, and Sunset Support Services.
Tammy Thompson, program specialist supervisor at Ganister, said the event was a great opportunity for the everyone involved, especially the four individuals she and her colleagues were with.
"They seem like they're having a blast," she said.
One of those individuals was Lea Moore.
She said she was enjoying the camp and her favorite part was passing the basketball.
Weiler thanked Krimmel for hosting the event and said people such as him are the real heroes of the Beautiful Lives program.
