SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- A local organization is helping people all over achieve their dreams, regardless of their physical circumstances.
The Surfgimp Foundation has helped those with disabilities have surf lessons, adaptive bicycles, or special wheelchairs via tens of thousands of dollars in grants. The non-profit was inspired by Jay Liesener, a multi-sport athlete before and after breaking his neck at 17 rendered him a quadriplegic.
"It was kind of tongue in cheek notion of trying to reclaim some power back from a term that used to be derogatory towards people with disabilities with the term gimp," says Melanie Liesener. "He embraced it wholeheartedly and he became the surf gimp."
Jay's legacy lives on through the foundation, helping people like five-year-old Molly Ann Jones. The little girl has cerebral palsy and plans to be a "race car queen driver" when she grows up. Her all-terrain wheelchair provided by Surfgimp will aid her in that darling journey.
"It's a childhood," says dad Justin, explaining the chair's benefits. "Because of her cerebral palsy, she cannot do what normal children can do: running, playing, jumping, they are all limited for her. so having the wheelchair it lets her get out a little bit more let's her enjoy time with her friends, lets her get out lets her move it just greatly improves her quality of life."
The Surfgimp Foundation is hosting its winter bash on Saturday, Jan. 18 to raise money for its grant cycle. For more information on that, visit the foundation's website.