ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- At the 31st annual The Hartford Ski Spectacular, one of the nation's largest winter sports festivals for individuals with physical disabilities, Disabled Sports USA presented Lakeshore Foundation with the organization's 2018 Dr. Robert Harney Leadership Award. The awards ceremony took place on December 8 in Breckenridge, Colorado.
The Dr. Robert Harney Leadership Award, created in October 2012 by the Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA) Board of Directors, is an annual award to honor a company, organization or an individual that has demonstrated and provided extraordinary leadership in the Disabled Sports/Adaptive Sports Movement.
Harney was an adaptive sports pioneer and tireless leader in Paralympic sports at the local, national and international levels. He was an innovator in the national and international medical classification of athletes with disabilities. Harney was on the International Paralympic Medical Classification team in the sports of alpine skiing and cycling, was a Professional Ski Instructor, a full-time practicing orthopedic surgeon in Boston, and a dedicated team physician at Winthrop and Melrose High School in his hometown of Winthrop, MA for more than 20 years. He served on various boards of directors, including Disabled Sports USA's as vice president and was a past president of New England Disabled Sports.
Lakeshore Foundation, based in Birmingham, Alabama was recognized as this year's award recipient for its numerous contributions in the disabled sports and adaptive sports field. The Lakeshore Foundation joined forces with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to create the UAB/Lakeshore Research Collaborative in 2009, a national leader in research related to people with disability. The organization has more than a $33 million economic impact to the Birmingham Metropolitan Area and brings in more than 124.000 annual visits to the facility by youth and adults from across the state. In addition, 2018 marks the 15th year Lakeshore has served as an Olympic and Paralympic Training Site. Furthermore, their staff present at a number of local, national and international conferences focused on disability and physical activity each year and hosted DSUSA's Adapt2Achieve Leadership Conference in 2016, another rewarding opportunity to partner as a chapter. Lakeshore actively promotes inclusive policies and programs at the local, state, national and international levels. Examples of recent national work to provide inclusive programming include partnerships with USATF for their Run, Jump, Throw school-based initiative. Lakeshore's President, Jeff Underwood, serves as a member of the United States Olympic Committee's Paralympic Advisory Committee and was the Chef de Mission for the US Paralympic team in 2008. Underwood also previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for DSUSA.
"Lakeshore Foundation serves as a global leader in changing the course of disability and health through their unmatched combination of physical activity, research and advocacy," said Glenn Merry, Executive Director of Disabled Sports USA. "We are so pleased to present the Dr. Robert Harney Leadership Award to Lakeshore Foundation for its extraordinary leadership in the disabled sports and adaptive sports field."
"We are honored to receive the 2018 Dr. Robert Harney Leadership Award from Disabled Sports USA," said Lakeshore President Jeff Underwood. "Lakeshore is determined and focused on removing the barriers which prevent people with physical disabilities and chronic health conditions from participating in sports and other opportunities for physical activity. We believe the power of sport empowers our participants to achieve success not just on the court, but in their everyday activities. Lakeshore commends Disabled Sports USA for its great work in providing sports opportunities for people with disabilities."
To learn more about the Disabled Sports USA and the Dr. Robert Harney Leadership Award, visit http://www.disabledsportsusa.org/sports/adaptive-sports-awards/.
SOURCE Disabled Sports Network
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