The Center of Hope Foundation, Inc., a non-profit human organization serving adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, has been holding a Beginners Fitness Program lead by Mike Didonato and Anna Sotar from Hoyt Running Chairs.  Hoyt Running Chairs designs and manufactures state of the art adaptive chairs to promote inclusion for recreational and athletic activities. Each chair is designed for comfort both for the rider and the runner.

Hoyt Running Chairs has generously donated a custom chair to the Center of Hope Foundation, matching the Arc Orange. Vivid Print, a division of the Center of Hope, will be custom making wheel covers as well.  With the chair being finalized for racing, members from the Fitness Program have been training to run in the Center of Hope’s Gobble Gobble Road Race on November 18, 2018.

The group currently consists of two instructors, Mike DiDonato and Anna Sotar, and eight Center of Hope Staff and Participants; Erika Travinski, Kayla Krause, Kim Liss, Diana Santoro, Adam Bowler, Alex Bowler, John Grigas and Dan Laroche. Learning to set goals and achieve goals are what the group is focusing on. The Gobble Gobble Road Race will be the first goal to be achieved, working as a team to run the 5K while pushing Diana in the Center of Hope’s new Running Chair. The Tri-Community YMCA in Southbridge has also generously allowed our group to hold our weekly workouts in their facility when the weather does not cooperate.

Kayla says, “Learning how to set achievable goals and reaching those goals gives a person direction, self-confidence and motivation. These are all skills that we as a team are learning. We want everyone out there to set goals and work towards them. You may not be able to physically run a 5k but with the help of Hoyt Racing Chairs and others, anything is possible. The Center of Hope’s mission is to assist individuals with disabilities to develop and acquire the services and resources, which will allow them to meet their goals for meaningful and productive living and this Fitness Program is helping us to continue on with our mission.”

Vibram Corporation, a manufacturer of rubber outsoles for footwear, has graciously donated a pair of FiveFingers or Furoshiki shoes for each runner.  The team was able to visit Vibram in North Brookfield, MA where Chris Melton, Director of Sales and Distribution, met each runner and made sure each shoe was the perfect fit. Erika says, “Our team cannot thank Hoyt Running Chairs and Vibram enough. Your generosity helps us to provide more opportunities for our program members all while raising awareness about Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.”