$3 million in 3 years: How to help Birmingham Para athletes headed to LA28

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Team USA athletes had a phenomenal showing at the Milan Cortina Paralympics in early March, bringing home 24 medals—13 gold—and placing second in the world on both counts.

Next up? The 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, where three Birmingham-based teams of athletes will take the world stage.

If you didn’t already know, our Lakeshore Foundation is home to three national Paralympic teams.

While these elite athletes train year-round to represent our country, they receive zero federal funding. Lakeshore Foundation aims to close that gap for our locally-based national teams so they can sharpen their focus on going for gold at LA28.

Read on to learn how you can help.

Lakeshore: A leader in Paralympic sports

While Lakeshore Foundation’s history stretches back 100 years, its adapted sports story began in the 1970s with the Birmingham Chariots wheelchair basketball team. That program was the catalyst for what Lakeshore has become today, an internationally recognized leader in adapted sports and an official US Olympic and Paralympic Training Site.

In 2022-23, Lakeshore established its National Adapted Sports Organization, which now serves as the national governing body for the three teams that have made the Magic City home: USA Wheelchair Rugby in 2003, Boccia United States in 2021 and USA Para Powerlifting in 2023.

Meet the national teams

🏅 USA Wheelchair Rugby

• The United States has the most decorated wheelchair rugby team in Paralympic history, having won multiple medals over seven consecutive appearances at the games.
• Today, more than 40 organized teams compete across the U.S., giving many Para athletes here their start. There are at least 29 international teams now competing globally.
• 👉 Learn more

🏅Boccia United States

• Boccia, a precision ball sport originally developed for athletes with cerebral palsy, is now enjoyed by thousands of athletes with any activity limitations requiring a wheelchair.
• The sport debuted at the 1984 Paralympics with 19 athletes from five countries and now has athletes in over 50 countries.
• 👉 Learn more

🏅 USA Para Powerlifting

• Para Powerlifting is the latest team to make Lakeshore home.
• The sport operates in approximately 100 countries and is one of the Paralympics’ fastest-growing disciplines.
• 👉 Learn more

3 for 3: Why it matters + how to help

While most countries fund their Olympic and Paralympic teams, that’s not the case in the U.S., where athletes must personally cover the costs of training, travel and competition. That can be especially daunting for Para athletes, most of whom are already navigating exceptional costs tied to disabilities.

Lakeshore’s 3 for 3 campaign aims to raise $3 million to help our three teams with:

• Personalized, science-driven High-Performance Plans for athletes
• Training camps + international competitions
• Athlete pipeline development to keep programs strong

⭐️ Giving is simple: Go to the 3 for 3 Movement page + donate directly. Every amount helps, and you can make it a one-time or recurring monthly gift.

Tee off to support Lakeshore on April 6

While this new campaign will continue over the next few years, more immediately, we hope to see you soon at the Greystone Golf and Country Club Founders Course on Monday, April 6 for Lakeshore’s Spring Swing Annual Golf Outing.

The rain-or-shine event supports Lakeshore Foundation’s larger mission of raising funds for people with physical disabilities to live active, healthy lives.

To learn more about Lakeshore Foundation and the full scope of its work with people with physical disabilities, visit lakeshore.org.

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