By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
The Rim of the World Special Athletes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that provides a recreational experience that is safe and a positive experience for adaptive individuals by providing year-round individual activities for them at no charge.
Brian L. Cohen is hosting the Great Gatsby Gala, a fundraising dinner at a private home in the Cedar Ridge Estates section of Lake Arrowhead to support this beneficial and worthy program.
The Great Gatsby era is the flashy 1920s and era or cocktail attire is encouraged for this special Sept. 14 gala designed to enable RSA to continue their valuable programs. The gala will begin at 5 p.m. with a champagne welcome at the door with a hosted bar for cocktails. This social time will be followed by a catered buffet dinner with an excellent selection of either fish, chicken or vegetarian fare, with desserts.
Live jazz music for the gala will set the mood for the raffles, auctions and social interactions and dancing. This event-filled evening will be both fun and delicious, and for a great cause. Some of the auction items include golf packages, numerous raffle baskets, vacation weekends, dinners at numerous local restaurants, including the Stone Creek Bistro, a cord of wood, Mackenzie Water Ski lessons, a drone video of your home or elsewhere, a Hawaiian vacation, a weekend deluxe chalet at the UCLA conference center and more.
The last fundraiser the Rim Special Athletes held was at Snow Valley prior to COVID. Through careful use of those funds, they have been able to continue their programs over the intervening years. Now RSA needs to raise additional funds to continue fulfilling its mission and keeping those adaptive programs available for all to use. The ski programs have benefitted both the local adaptive residents and also the war-wounded disabled veterans who gain confidence and learn new skills while in the winter ski program.
RSA sponsors sports and other programs year-round, and all costs are rising. During the winter, RSA provides various snow-based activities, including sledding, skiing and snowshoeing, weather permitting, at various snow locations across the mountain. Their adaptive ski program for those who need special equipment such as mono and bi-skis with specially trained instructors has been very popular and successful over the last decade.
During the summer, Rim Special Athletes hosts weekly water sports programs which include swimming, kayaking, aqua biking, stand-up paddle boarding and boating. They have offered other programs, including golf and fishing, depending upon instructors and seasons, as all instructors must be trained and certified to work with these special individuals. Yoga is one of their popular year-round programs. RSA serves veterans and individuals from our mountain communities and beyond.
Rim Special Athletes provides programs for individuals with visual and hearing impairments, amputations, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Down syndrome and autism, as well as many other cognitive and physical disabilities. The objective is to have the adaptive athletes have fun, while learning or practicing a new skill, and to develop self-confidence from the experience.
To RSVP, or for more information about the event visit http://RSA.givesmart.com or see RSA’s website for more information on their programs, https://RimSpecialAthletes.org.
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