Sonoma: Building confidence through sports
Sonoma is a sweet and energetic 5th grader, but life didn't start out easy. Sonoma and her twin sister were born 3 months premature. As a result, Sonoma experienced many challenges her first year of life with the most significant being Cerebral Palsy which affects body movement, coordination, gross and fine motor skills and speech.
Despite her challenges, Sonoma was determined to keep up with her sister. When she was little, the girls participated in able-bodied sports like youth soccer and gymnastics. As she got older and sports required more physical demands, Sonoma didn't want to feel behind anymore. A family friend referred them to Courage Kenny which offers an abundance of activities for youth and adults with disabilities. The first thing Sonoma tried was wheelchair basketball, and she was hooked! Her mom, Michelle, remembers when Sonoma said, "It's the only hour all week where I feel normal."
Since then, Sonoma has tried just about every activity at Courage Kenny, and mom has seen tremendous progress in her attitude and ability. "It just lights her up!" Mom says, "For a long time we were always trying to figure out how she could participate in activities - now the opportunities are endless at Courage Kenny".
Despite her challenges, Sonoma was determined to keep up with her sister. When she was little, the girls participated in able-bodied sports like youth soccer and gymnastics. As she got older and sports required more physical demands, Sonoma didn't want to feel behind anymore. A family friend referred them to Courage Kenny which offers an abundance of activities for youth and adults with disabilities. The first thing Sonoma tried was wheelchair basketball, and she was hooked! Her mom, Michelle, remembers when Sonoma said, "It's the only hour all week where I feel normal."
Since then, Sonoma has tried just about every activity at Courage Kenny, and mom has seen tremendous progress in her attitude and ability. "It just lights her up!" Mom says, "For a long time we were always trying to figure out how she could participate in activities - now the opportunities are endless at Courage Kenny".