By Jennifer Russo

Coming up on Saturday, September 14th at the West Hill Dam in Uxbridge is an opportunity to be surrounded by nature’s beauty, hang out with friends, and get those steps in, all while making it possible for people with disabilities to thrive. 

The 5K, organized by Space2Thrive founder Helena Liedtke, raises money for VOLT Hockey, an adaptive team sport that enables people with physical disabilities to engage in a competitive and fun environment, learn the value of teamwork and sportsmanship, and connect with others.

“In contrast to traditional wheelchair hockey, a Volt Hockey wheelchair is equipped with a fixed stick of flexible material, which is mounted directly at the tip of the electric hockey chair’s fender bracket. The chairs can be customized to adapt to an individual’s needs and to offer additional physical support. Therefore, Volt Hockey especially opens the world of participating in a team sport to an underserved population of people living with physical disabilities, who have limited upper and lower body mobility,” explains Helena. 

The sport, which originated in Denmark 40 years ago, is very popular in Scandinavian countries, but is rather new to the United States. This month, VOLT is running a camp in Oslo, Norway and Helena is excited to bring that knowledge back to the states to apply it here.

“As a parent, for the first time in my daughter’s life I was able to cheer her on when she competed with her team at the North American Championship in Canada or the World Cup in Sweden. When you’ve spent 15 years supporting your child while they are going through and recovering from countless medical procedures, having the opportunity to support her in such a positive way was exhilarating,” shares Helena.

The goal for the upcoming 5K is to raise $20,000 to enable more people to be able to play VOLT Hockey, support attendance at camps, and enable families to attend tournaments. Each chair costs between $6K-10K and can be adapted to each person and their unique needs. The playing rink and accessories have additional costs associated. Helena hopes for 100-200 participants in the race this year, which is on a trail where one can easily run, walk, or use a wheelchair to participate in. There will be raffles and prizes, activities for kids, and a lemonade stand. 

Her passion for bringing VOLT Hockey to the area and founding Space2Thrive comes from a personal understanding of how important it is to have equitable environments. One of her daughters was born with a genetic condition that changed their lives and opened her eyes to the fact that there were less opportunities for her daughter to engage in activities with her sister or her friends.

“Through my daughter I realized how many social and environmental barriers still are prevalent in our communities. However, there was a moment when I attempted to sign my daughter up at a dance school where her younger sister was dancing. Wide-eyed, and with a bewildered expression on her face, the owner replied with a long drawn-out “no”. It sounded like a rhetorical question, to which I, of course, should have known the answer. I think that was the moment when the idea to “just do it myself” started to form,” shares Helena.

Space2Thrive started almost ten years ago with music and movement classes and events where all were welcome, and where families caring for children with disabilities invited peers with or without disabilities, and other friends and family members. Families were able to interact, and children learned the lesson that everyone can be a part of a community if they choose to.

“Every single person has the choice to create inclusive and equitable social and physical environments,” says Liedtke.

“People with disabilities are people first and should be treated as such. Don’t make assumptions. Believe people’s experiences. In the end, we all just want to belong, be heard, and be loved regardless of the attributes accompanying our appearances. The more social and physical barriers we break down, the more we will focus on the person and not their impairment,” says Helena.

If you would like to participate in the Space2Thrive 5K, you can sign up though the Space2Thrive website at https://www.space2thrive.org/5k-come-out-and-revive - it is $20 per entry (or $25 the day of the race). If you would like to help in other ways, you can sign up to volunteer, donate funds or raffle baskets, help them connect with potential sponsors or share on social media channels.

Learn more about Space2Thrive and their VOLT Hockey team at: www.space2thrive.org or follow them on Facebook or Instagram @Space2Thrive. 

Sign-ups are open for the VOLT session starting in September at the Hockomock Area YMCA in North Attleboro. Sign up is open to participants with physical disabilities ages 13+. Children 8-12 years with physical disabilities are encouraged to reach out if interested as consideration will be made for offering an additional practice time for this age group. If interested, please reach out to [email protected]