| October 27, 2010 | Media contact: Heather Guenther E-mail: hguenthe@umich.edu Phone: 734-764-2220 |
Wheelchair basketball game Oct. 29 concludes Investing in Ability Week
Free event raises awareness about disability issues facing veterans
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Two wheelchair basketball teams will battle Friday, Oct. 29, for bragging rights – and raising disability awareness at the University of Michigan.
The Army vs. Navy Tip-off event is the grand finale for the U-M’s Investing in Ability Week 2010, a weeklong celebration of the skills and talents of the disabled.
“You can see where disability awareness on our campus and in our health system has improved and really grown,” says Gerald Hoff, a U-M Health System insurance verification representative and the game’s organizer. “Disability awareness is so important in our health system because that’s our customer.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Saline High School’s gymnasium, located at 1300 Campus Parkway, in Saline. The game is free and open to the public.
Free transportation will be available in front of the Michigan Union. Two buses will leave at 6:45 p.m. and travel as part of a military escort, following members of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, Patriot Guard Riders and the Taylor, Mich.-based 210 Military Police Battalion. Both buses will return to the union immediately after the game.
Teams will be made up of official wheelchair basketball players, students from the U-M and Eastern Michigan University Reserve Officer Training Corps and recruited veterans.
Among the participants is Paul Schulte, a Michigan native who is an international wheelchair basketball superstar and a two-time Paralympian.
Highlights include:
- Pre-game and national anthem performances by the 338th Army Band
- National anthem performance by the U-M Army ROTC Color Guard
- Halftime performance by the U-M Dance Team
- Game announced by Chase Sari of WTKI Sports Radio
- Appearances by the all-volunteer public service organization Michigan Volunteer Defense Force and members of the U-M basketball student section
More about Investing in Ability Week
For more than 20 years, the U-M Council for Disability Concerns has hosted a series of educational programs and events spanning over a week to educate the public on important disability issues.
This year’s theme, called “HonorABLE: Celebrating All Veterans; Those With and Without Disabilities,” raises awareness about disability issues facing veterans.
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Resources:
U-M Council for Disability Concerns
http://www.hr.umich.edu/ability/
Investing in Ability Week 2010
http://hr.umich.edu/ability/iaw/index.html
Written by Heather Guenther
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