UNION, Ky. — A little boy from northern Kentucky didn’t have anywhere to play sports where he felt included. So his parents made one, and soon hundreds of other parents of kids with disabilities joined in. Now those kids are thriving.
Samantha Payne and her husband, John, have their hands full with three young kids. Blake, Brooks and Whitley don’t struggle at all to have fun in just about any situation.
But their oldest, Blake, did struggle in organized sports leagues.
“Blake has got multiple disabilities. And we were trying him in different sports around northern Kentucky. But he just was having a hard time playing with peers. We were leaving upset, because either he wasn’t playing, or he was just struggling out on the field. And we’re like, there’s got to be something around here for kids who have different disabilities. And we couldn’t find anything that was local. And so that was like, ok well I guess it’s time for us to start it. And so that’s what we did,” Payne said. “We got the idea in may. And kind of kicked everything off within two weeks.”
After putting up a Facebook post to gauge interest for a sports league for kids with disabilities, Payne soon was bombarded with replies by parents.
All Abilities Sports NKY was formed as a result.
The nonprofit hosts “try it” days once a month, where kids can try sports like baseball and see if they want to play in a league.
“We have had over 200 kids sign up so far since may. So we’ve had some that have come to every single thing we’ve offered,” Payne said.
Kids from as young as three to as old as 16 get to experience being part of a team, and simply have fun, without the stress that has fallen on some families with traditional sports leagues. Older kids who play team sports have even volunteered as “buddies” to help kids like Vince, which has brought a lot of joy to his dad, Alex Walker.
“It’s been an awesome experience getting to really build a community together. As you can see, everybody is so helpful and accommodating. And everybody’s having such a good time. We’ve tried other sports, where he wasn’t really interested before,” Walker said. “Ever since it started, though, he’s had a blast each week, and we’ve really looked forward to it. You see so many happy faces, where with different sports leagues, there was a lot of frustration.”
Payne has a background in teaching special education. She knows how much of a difference it can make for these kids to feel included. Seeing them flourish has been one of her greatest accomplishments.
“Best thing ever. I mean, we were just hoping to have a place for our son. But now we’ve realized how many other families were wanting that, too. We are so grateful that families have trusted us that we could provide this experience for them. And it’s great watching it all unfold,” she said.
Playing was never the problem for Blake Payne. Playing with others won’t ever be one now, for him, and hundreds of his friends.
All Abilities Sports NKY is looking to expand this winter with indoor basketball and indoor soccer.