DUQUOIN, IL – NubAbility® Athletics Foundation announced today that nominations are open for the 2020 Game Changer Honors, which recognize a Southern Illinois high school athlete, Southern Illinois coach and a limb-different athlete from the states of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, or Tennessee who have overcome a life-altering challenge to excel at their sport. The awards will be presented at NubAbility’s Game Changer benefit on April 25, 2020 by SIU football coach Nick Hill. The deadline for nominations is March 15th.
“We couldn’t do our annual camp in DuQuoin, Illinois without the volunteer work of area athletes and coaches,” said NubAbility founder and executive director Sam Kuhnert. “This is our way of giving back to the community that has given so much to us.” NubAbility’s annual All-Sport Camp draws almost 200 limb-different children and their families to the region each July, where they learn to compete in mainstream sports. More than 400 volunteers assist with the camp.
Eligible nominees will have surmounted a physical, emotional or environmental challenge during their season of play. Additional requirements include:
– Game Changer Athlete of the Year. Current high school student, male or female, residing in Southern Illinois. Award includes a $500 scholarship.
– Jerry Kill Coach of the Year. Coach of any sport, male or female, for any age level, residing in Southern Illinois.
– Kevin Crafton #DontNeed2 Athlete of the Year. Student age 10 – 23, male or female, with congenital or traumatic limb loss, cerebral palsy or frozen limb, residing in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, or Tennessee. Student should be highly competitive in a mainstream sport. Award includes a scholarship to NubAbility’s 2020 All-Sport Camp as an athlete or student coach.
For more information about the awards or to submit a nomination, please visit https://form.jotform.com/nubability_athletics/GameChangerHonors.
NubAbility’s Game Changer Honors are part of the foundation’s Game Changer benefit, an annual fundraiser sponsored by IBEW Local 702, River Radio, Southern Illinois Healthcare, the SIU Salukis, and Wells Fargo. Hosted by Route 51 Brewing Co., the BBQ dinner and auction will take place in Elkville on April 25, 2020 starting at 5:00 pm. Honorary event chair and SIU football coach Nick Hill and River Radio host Steve Falat will emcee. The after-party will feature the Tucker Kuhnert Band. For more information about Game Changer benefit sponsorships, please call Jana Kuhnert at 618/790-6675, email jana@nubability.org or visit https://www.jotform.com/nubability_athletics/gamechangersponsorremit.
ABOUT NUBABILITY
NubAbility® Athletics Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that operates a national series of camps designed to get children with congenital or traumatic limb loss out of the stands, off the bench and into competitive mainstream sports. The viral video Boy With No Arms Does Box Jump, which received national media attention in 2019, illustrates the power and pride our campers experience when they overcome obstacles to achieve their goals. NubAbility participants leave camp confident they can win at athletics and in life.
Founded in 2011, NubAbility will offer camps in eight states and provide services to more than 400 children in 2020. The organization’s volunteer coaching team is made up of 100 limb-different collegiate and professional athletes in 20 sports. For more information, visit www.nubability.org.
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