November 2021 Newsletter
 Founder's Message: Fodder from the Founder
David C. Jones
It’s time, Nature is calling. This is Outdoor Recreation Month and all of the many days that have been designated to observe different outdoor activities are showing up almost every day.
Autumn is the season that brings us the long-awaited pleasant weather that calls us out. The list of activities and opportunities are really limitless. Trails, biking, bird and nature viewing, boating and fishing, picnicking and parks, gardening and yard work. The diversity of interest and activities leads us down different paths. Either with your family or friends or else by simply enjoying the solitude of going it alone.
The benefits of time in nature and outdoor recreation are well researched and documented. We enjoy it. It heals us. It makes us healthier. It makes us happy. People who indicate being healthier also self-report that they are happier. Recreation, and especially outdoor recreation is very therapeutic.
The Florida Disabled Outdoors Association (now SportsAbility Alliance) was created to promote and provide opportunities for people with disabilities, and in fact all people, to engage, be active and to enhance their lives along with families and communities. We continue to offer motivation, education, advocacy and supports with our outdoor recreation programs and partners.
Hunting is my personal favorite fall and winter activity and I enjoy participating in our Mobility Impaired hunt program that is now in full swing. I’m proud to see hundreds of hunters every year taking part in this program that we helped the Fish and Wildlife Commission start back in the earlier 90’s. The special program continues to grow as new areas are added. The latest is Orange Hammack in west central Florida. The MI program now offers more than twenty-three different quality deer hunts across the state. See myFWC.com or gooutdoorsflorida.com for details on how to participate and where these hunts are held.
We also just enjoyed our 25th Nutrien Corp./SportsAbility annual invitational deer hunt. Nutrien is a mining company that believes in reclaiming the land and restoring the habitat to the benefit of wildlife and nature while also giving back to our communities with their generosity and care. We had a great weekend hunting and visiting with old and new friends.
As always, the meals that they provided were fabulous. We again had nice prizes given away by Camping World/Gander Mountain to our hunters with disabilities. We had two new Eco Rovers there for our guest to try and to use. We will be sharing more about them as we prepare to rollout our ALLOUT EcoRover rental program. The Eco Rover is a new all-terrain tracked mobility device that our partner Cordell Jeter with Tracked Mobility has produced and is now has available for purchase. Contact me for more information if interested.
I also took our Eco Rovers to the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge where Lori Nicholson, their community liaison, and I participated in a 5k “Run for the Wildlife” event. It was a promotional outdoor recreation awareness event at refuges across the US. I’m very pleased to report that our own St Marks won the contest with the greatest number of participants in the whole National Refuge system. Lori and I used the Rovers on the beautiful hiking trails down near the lighthouse where the course was laid out. The monarch butterflies were just arriving to add to the splendid show of wildlife and plant life on this unique coastal and historical setting.
We also held our Big Kahuna Paddle Challenge where the Northside Kiwanis Club lead by Gavin Boone Recaptured the Big Kahuna title this year from the Bradfordville Kiwanis Club. Another fun outdoor event that was enjoyed, even with a little of our “liquid” Florida Sunshine to add to the fun and memories of the event.
We resumed our meetings with the Dept. of Environmental Protection’s State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan committee that I have been part of since our early days of FDOA existence. We began efforts to contribute to the development of the next 5-year plan that is required in order to acquire the federal funding from the taxes collected on outdoor recreation purchases. Our involvement has assured that we have diversity, accessibility and inclusion in our plan and goals for the State.
I am also very pleased to share that VISIT FLORIDA has really stepped up to build inclusion and accessible travel into their planning and programs. They are like us in that they provide support for both consumers and providers. Destinations and travelers in the travel industry. We do the same in the recreation and leisure activities world, serving both segments as they both are interdependent. Go to the visitflorida.com website to see the excellent videos of several outdoor recreation enthusiast who have a disability and enjoy the great outdoor recreation that Florida has to offer. You will recognize three of them as SportsAbility Alliance partners. Please check it out. Good Stuff.
Now, get out and enjoy this special time of the year by participating in your favorite sport or activity or better yet explore and try something or somewhere totally new. The possibilities are endless.
Active Leisure for Life!
 Executive Director's Message: Giving in Honor
Laurie LoRe-Gussak, MBA, IOM, CAE
Miracle Sports
Baseball - Join us for some in-person baseball at Miracle Field (Messer Park, Tallahassee). We play Thursday evenings starting January 27. Everyone is welcome to play!
Miracle Sports Bubbles
Small group virtual coaching sessions that can be done from home via Zoom. Select from a list of sessions and times and then register for the session(s) that interest you. Since each session will be limited to a small group, the coach may give individualized attention. This program is Free to participate.
- Saturdays from 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Virtual Workouts Via Facebook
Check it out on the SportsAbility Alliance Facebook page!
- Coach Deryk Live – Mondays at 4:30 pm (available all week on demand)
- Spirit Club Live – Fridays at 11:00 am (available all week on demand)
Virtual Reality (VR) SportsAbility Park (24 Hours a Day)
Either utilizing a virtual reality headset or from their computer, people of all abilities are able to hang out with friends and make new friends in the SportsAbility VR Park. They can participate in virtual recreation like shooting fireworks, playing basketball or cornhole, climbing a waterfall, reaching the top of an aerial obstacle course, and more.
SportsAbility Park will be available year-round and 24 hours, 7 days a week, but we periodically host special events in the virtual park. Be sure to check out our event calendar and follow us on social media to hear about these events.
Stay well friends!!
Recent Articles
The holiday season has always been referred to as the best time of the year. Even if you are not travelling to visit family and friends in other areas, there are still many activities and fun things to do with your family while at home or in the local Tallahassee community!
What are you doing to stay active?
Post it on social media and tag us!
Information for People with a Spinal Cord Injury: English | Spanish
Information for People with a Brain Injury: English | Spanish
Donate to Support Inclusive Recreation
Your donation directly goes toward providing inclusive accessible
recreation programs at no cost to participants.
Any donation amount appreciated.
Donations may also be mailed to:
SportsAbility Alliance
3035 Eliza Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
FDOA (dba SportsAbility Alliance) gratefully accepts tax deductible donations and in-kind gifts as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. (Federal ID# 59-3051552)
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