Harris, New York, June 3, 2019 – Seventeen young athletes with varying abilities from The Center for Discovery (TCFD) are joining 30 experienced outdoor sports coaches for the June 6-8 Adventure Team Challenge New York, an inclusive team adventure program from national non-profit World T.E.A.M.
Hosted each summer since 2010, this year’s Challenge will again welcome athletes who live with complex conditions. During the program, these exceptional athletes will pedal bicycles, paddle boats, and complete a hike across rugged mountain terrain. Experienced able-bodied coaches will participate in each stage alongside the athletes, offering assistance and guidance as necessary.
Created and directed by TCFD and the privately-held, Long Island, New York-based, independent broker/dealer American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., the Challenge begins at The Center’s home facility in Harris. On the second day, athletes and coaches travel to nearby Frost Valley YMCA in the Catskill Mountains for additional outdoor activities, including a regatta on Lake Cole, and an orienteering course.
To date, more than 350 athletes who are adaptive and able-bodied have completed this inclusive program. World T.E.A.M.’s CEO and President Jon Brideau is pleased with the empowerment of these athletes as they engage with challenging sporting activities.
“These athletes are about to enjoy the best weekend of the year! This event always has such an impact on the participants, and volunteers and encourages all of us to be our best and work as a team to achieve a common goal,” said Brideau. “The Center for Discovery is an amazing place, and we are honored to have been partnering with them on this program for 10 years running! We are excited to see what the group can accomplish this year.”
Patterned after World T.E.A.M.’s inclusive Adventure Team Challenge in Colorado’s high mountains, the New York program offers participating athletes the opportunity to learn more about themselves and the natural world through physical activity. Teamwork between the participating adaptive athletes and their coaches allows each athlete to successfully complete the program. It’s an outdoor sport experience that athletes and coaches will long remember.
American Portfolio’s CEO Lon T. Dolber encourages colleagues and affiliated investment professionals to join the Challenge as volunteers. He recognizes the teamwork between athletes with a range of abilities and their coaches during the program can be transformative.
“Each year, we look forward to participating in the Adventure Team Challenge,” says AP’s CEO Lon T. Dolber. “Our affiliated colleagues and staff members always come away from this unique program transformed by the experience of helping physically and developmentally challenged individuals achieve feats they never dreamed were possible. We’re proud to play a role in being able to lift the human spirit of this remarkable community.”
From Frost Valley, a select team of adaptive athletes will undertake an inspiring climb of Slide Mountain, the Catskill’s highest peak at 4,180 feet. With a gain in elevation of 1,700 feet from the trail head, the climb is challenging for many hikers who are able-bodied. For athletes with complex conditions, the successful ascent is a tremendous accomplishment that builds confidence and interest in additional outdoor sports.
The Adventure Team Challenge New York is co-directed by Dolber and Richard Humleker, Vice President for Development for The Center for Discovery. American Portfolios’ Sandy White and MaryAnn Rosolino serve as event coordinators, along with Jim Cashen and Sam Rose of The Center for Discovery. Corporate sponsorship for the Challenge is by American Portfolios Financial Services Inc., a Holbrook, New York independent brokerage and financial service corporation founded in 2001. The program is presented in partnership with The Carrus Institute and The Center for Discovery, a non-profit Harris, New York organization that has provided educational, health, residential and family support for children and adults with severe disabilities for more than 60 years.
About The Center for Discovery
The Center for Discovery (TCFD) is a leading provider of healthcare and education services for more than 1,200 children and adults with complex conditions, medical frailties and Autism Spectrum Disorders, located 90 miles northwest of New York City. Named a Center of Excellence in 2016, TCFD has long been a leader in developing new models of care for individuals with complex conditions. Located on 1,500 acres of land in Sullivan County, TCFD houses school campuses, residences, medical and research facilities, organic and biodynamic farmland, and leased private businesses offering meaningful employment opportunities. Deeply focused on an individual’s personal potential and possibilities, rather than a disability, TCFD strives to create better care and unique and challenging opportunities for the most vulnerable populations. For more information about TCFD, please visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/.
