Let me start with I am humbled by all the donations and help in achieving my goals. My name is Angelo Perez. In 1991 as an innocent bystander, I was paralyzed as a result of a shooting in my neighborhood. This began a lifelong journey of pain, multiple surgeries, endless months of therapy and re-training just to maintain my life. The emotional, mental and physical pain has been a roller coaster ride of difficulties for me as you can imagine, but there’s another side to my story.

Hardships and Fresh Starts:

Since 2013, I have endured many surgeries and lived in many nursing homes while having the challenge of finding an accessible apartment. In 2018, after much self-advocacy I qualified for the Colbert Initiative Grant which provided financial support to help me secure the accessible apartment in Uptown I now call home. This fully accessible apartment, continues to provide a good home for building a new life.

Rising Through Sports:

Over the last 5 years, with great encouragement from family, friends and a number of coaches at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and Dare2Tri , I became healthier through exercise, better diet and participation in adaptive sports. I was named “Athlete of the Year” by Shirley Ryan Ability Lab for my personal growth in Adaptive Sports and for my willingness to help others achieve the same. This was a catalyst that helped me to compete harder and encourage others, resulting in multiple championships in various adaptive sports.

Giving Back:

My personal and athletic growth has been tremendous over the past five years. As a way of giving back, I continue to volunteer in adaptive sports, kid camps, veteran camps, and assisting mates in sports and life generally. Along with other disabled advocates I am working to establish a training facility and community center for the disabled in Chicagoland. I also serve as a board member and secretary of Voice of The People, a housing organization committed to sustaining affordable housing. ( https://www.vophousing.com/staff-leadership)

How can you help?

I am planning on competing in both the 2025 Chicago Marathon and Chicago Triathlon, but in order to do so, I need a custom made high tech racing chair. Total cost of the chair is

$ 6,000. I received a grant of $ 2,500 from the Kelly Brush Foundation to help - but I will need an additional

$ 3,500 to reach my goal. Thank you in advance for any help you can give...and come out to see me at next years Chicago Marathon!