Joey's Offroad Handcycle Fundraiser

Please see updates following the original message below

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

Hello everyone,

My name is Joey. Last year I was paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a cliff while out hiking. Prior to my injury, I was deeply involved in outdoor sports including hiking, camping, rock climbing, caving, and mountain biking. Also, I was a member of a local Search and Rescue group helping to find missing persons in austere environments.

After several months of rehabilitation, I am back to being active in sports again. I have tried adaptive tennis, push-rim racing, handcycling, and swimming, but none have scratched the itch to be back on nature trails and in the woods. However, I recently had a chance to try offroad handcycling and was blown away by the experience.

Here is the type of handcycle I am trying to buy.

Because there are no local organizations from whom I can rent an offroad handcycle, I need to buy one. I have currently been awarded funds from one grant and am currently awaiting response from another; however, these awards will not cover the cost for the handcycle. So, I am trying to fundraise enough funds before my grant awards expire in the next couple months.

With this off-road handcycle, I am looking to expose more people to adaptive off-road handcycling and disabled people in outdoor sports. There are several mountain biking competitions I would like to enter as a way of garnering attention. Also, I am working on a project to provide disabled individuals with more information on nature trails so that they can feel more comfortable and confident getting outside and enjoying nature.

Please help me on my journey to get an off-road handcycle!

Thank you,

Joey

UPDATE 12/27/2023: Hello everyone, I wanted to provide a brief update on the progress of my fundraiser for the off-road handcycle. Since the deadline for the High Fives grant is coming up and I do not yet have yet all the funds I need, I will be deferring the grant to (hopefully) next year. What this means is that I will need to reapply for funding with this group. However, I am positive I will be able to recoup the funding I received this year in the next grant cycle. I will continue to work toward getting the funding I need to make, and I appreciate everyone's ongoing support. Thank you!

UPDATE: Hello everyone, I have good news (and some bad). I was awarded an additional $5000 from a Kelly Brush Foundation grant, so I can reduce the need to save to $11,000! However, my first grant from High Fives needs to be used before the end of this year, so I will be working to get up to that $11,000 hopefully before that grant expires. Otherwise, I will need to reapply. Thank you very much to everyone who has donated already. It means the absolute world to me!