Atlanta, October 14, 2021 – The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Inc. (AAASP) will honor 37 key people and organizations on October 24th for their outstanding contributions to support student athletes with physical disabilities to get “off the sidelines and into the game.” The Third Annual ASPIRE Awards Celebration, emceed by local Atlanta veteran sports anchor Sam Crenshaw (GPB, 92.9 the Game, Atlanta City TV, voice of Georgia State Basketball on ESPN3), will be held Sunday, October 24th on Adapted Sports’ Facebook page, via FACEBOOK LIVE, in response to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Adapted Sports Programs in Recreation and Education (ASPIRE) Award recognizes the significant contributions of these individuals and organizations that have been central to the mission of making adapted sports programming available nationwide. Through these programs, student athletes with physical disabilities across the country reap the physical, social, emotional, and academic benefits of competitive athletics resulting in personal and social empowerment.
Nominees for this years’ program:
- Mary Beth Pelt, Advocacy Award
- Dr. Jenny Millward, Advocacy Award
- Jeff Jones, Advocacy Award
- Monica White, Advocacy Award
- Will Hammock, Media “Hero” Award
- Jimmy Roberts, Coach of The Year Award
- Jacob Roche, Coach of The Year Award
- Christy Jones, Coach of The Year Award
- Anna Henry, Coach of The Year Award
- Gliding Stars, Community-Based Award
- RISE Adaptive Sports, Community-Based Award
- MYBA Courage League, Community-Based Award
- Boipoloko Stimulation Day Care Center, Community-Based Award
- Jaiden Clark, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award
- Jeff McDaniel, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award
- Rene’ Langlois, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award
- Todd Earley, Gail Hendrick Volunteerism Award
- Kendrick Newton, High School Senior Athlete Award
- Mason McCartney, High School Senior Athlete Award
- Willie Long, Leslie Sweatman Official of The Year Award
- Ta’Daisia Hillman, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award
- Abby Simmons, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award
- Miranda Lawhorn, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award
- Bailey McCartney, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award
- Kathy Luna, Outstanding Female Athlete of The Year Award
- Juan Nava, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award
- Gavin Pijnenburg, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award
- Seth Earley, Outstanding Male Athlete of The Year Award
- Troup County Parks and Recreation/J.J. Keurzi, School-Based Award
- Houston County/Rachel Gerrity/Rene Langlois/Jamie Schneller – Home Grown Yoga, School-Based Award
- Gwinnett HEAT, School-Based Award
- Ron Lykins, Founder’s Award
- Jan Seaman, Founder’s Award
- Jan Lauten, Founder’s Award
- Onie Lawson, Founder’s Award
- Terri Grunduski, Founder’s Award
Thank you to the following 2021 AAASP ASPIRE Awards Sponsors: the Georgia Department of Education, FlagHouse, the Georgia High School Association, and the AAASP Board of Directors. Plan to join us for the live event on our AAASP Facebook page – at 5:30 pm – to celebrate the nominees and winners with us!
Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/AdaptedSports and RSVP for the virtual event to get updates and additional information at: https://www.facebook.com/events/268767381787691?ref=newsfeed/ .
The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a not-for-profit association dedicated to developing interscholastic adapted sports programs in partnership with national, state, and local educational agencies. It represents a standardized approach to extracurricular adapted team sports and has developed one of the nation’s most comprehensive school-based athletic programs for students with physical disabilities attending elementary, middle, and high school. For more information, please visit our website at https://adaptedsports.org or join our conversations on Twitter at: @AdaptedSports.
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Contacts:
Terri Grunduski, Grunduski Group – terri@grunduskigroup.com 404-226-7497
Donna Feazell, Grunduski Group – donna@grunduskigroup.com 404-290-1929