The Boston Self Help Center Asks For Your Support
Donation checks can be made out to Boston Self Help Center, 1534 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120, Tax ID 04-2649399
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I am writing to request your support for our team, the Boston Brakers Power Soccer Club, as well as our work to expand into other adaptive sports and recreation that may not be available in the greater Boston area. We are also working on healthcare initiatives that impact individuals with disabilities and working on recreational programming for individuals who are visually impaired. Your donation would for these activities would be greatly appreciated.
Power wheelchair soccer is the fastest growing sport in the world for athletes with disabilities using power wheelchairs. Various areas of the country have seen significant growth of the sport including Indiana, California, and Florida. The Boston Brakers hope to have the same type of success in promoting the sport here in Boston, as well as the surrounding New England area, in an effort to give power wheelchair users a chance to experience competitive sport and sportsmanship.
Up to this point our initial organizer and main support has been the Boston Self Help Center, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 located in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, where the Brakers practice weekly and play their home games at the BCYF Tobin gym. Local community support and student volunteers from various colleges and universities have donated their time to assist the team on practice and game days.
Our team requires financial support for expensive equipment such as wheelchairs and guards, as well as compensating referees and renting gym space when needed. Wheelchairs can cost between $2,000 and $7,000, bumper guards cost up to $300, sanctioned team registrations and insurances another $1,000. Due to the competitive nature of play, it is often necessary to have wheelchairs that are specially modified for safety and performance reasons. It is highly preferred players not risk the chairs they use on a daily basis.
Every summer, the United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) holds conference tournaments for teams throughout the country. The tournaments are important not only to allow our team to compete against the best teams from around the United States, but also in terms of learning how to grow and promote the sport in New England. We project costs for these trips to be $14,000/annually.
Any support you could provide our team would be very much appreciated. We want to provide an opportunity for those with disabilities who use power wheelchairs to participate in a competitive sport. While sport and recreational opportunities exist for those with disabilities, very few of these are accessible to those with upper body strength limitations. This is one of the reasons the sport of power soccer is so unique.
If you wish to make a tax deductible donation or learn more about the team and the sport, please contact Jim Wice, Team Representative, at 617-777-3861 or via email at info@bostonselfhelpcenter.org . Donations to the Team can be made out to Boston Self Help Center, 1534 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120, Tax ID 04-2649399.
Sincerely,
The Boston Self Help Center
Boston, MA