Team Ezra:
Since Ezra was 1 year-old, he has been the inspiration behind for Team Ezra, which has raised over $400,0000 for nonprofit organizations that support the physically disabled. Starting in pre-school, Ezra has spoken at schools, bringing his message that “being different is OK” and raising awareness and understanding for the physically challenged. Ezra also enjoys mentoring and inspiring
younger amputees to be active and live life to the fullest. When Ezra was born, his family vowed to do everything to give him the same opportunities as able-bodied children and to support disabled causes. In fact, an LA Times article (link) about a scavenger couple in China who adopted disabled children gave us all the rationale we needed to get involved. When Ezra was only a few months old, his dad Clayton was researching adaptive surfing programs and found an eager partner and source of inspiration in the Challenged Athletes Foundation. In fact, CAF invited our family down to their annual triathlon in San Diego to meet Pirata, the world’s top amputee surfer. Pirata was an absolute inspiration to our family, helping spur us to fundraise along with close friend Kirk Waldron the following year. Ever since 2006, Team Ezra has rallied up to two dozen athlete-fundraisers for the CAF SDTC triathlon, along with 80-100 supporters who come out to cheer on the athletes and children. (link to t-shirt photos and team ezra photos from each year?)
Team Ezra has supported the following organizations:
Challenged Athletes Foundation – Provides grants to help physically challenged athletes get into the game, whether they need equipment, training, or travel funds. Shriners Hospital for Children – We helped created Ezra’s Underwater World mural in the Child Amputee Prosthetics Project (CAPP) Clinic. Camp No Limits – Each year we dedicate some of our funds to support CNL, a nationwide network of camps for amputee children. Prosthetic Outreach Foundation – We have raised money to help POF build prosthetic clinics around the world, in areas that no other organizations are willing to go. Countries like Vietnam, Sierra Leone, and northern Peru. In addition to fundraising, Team Ezra is actively developing a new athletic competition in Los Angeles, The Angel City Games. The inaugural Games are scheduled for June 19-20th, 2015 at UCLA (www.angelcitygames.org). Moving forward, our vision is to provide sport camps, clinics, and competitions for the physically disabled community of Southern California. We speak at schools, write articles/blogs, and generally do whatever we can to help raise awareness for the disabled. We also believe strongly in the potential of private schools to provide physically disabled children a stronger sense of community, a better partnership with school administration to resolve issues, and an improved life trajectory. We are working as an outreach partner for the Antonio V. Glassberg Education Foundation, whose mission is to provide scholarships for physically disabled children to attend private schools. Click here for more information on the foundation. We are simply a collection of family, friends, and supporters. We are all connected to each other through Ezra’s story and we are all inspired to support the disabled community in every manner possible. We are always looking for new friends, relationships, partners, and causes. The world is not fully accessible, fully understanding, or fully fair. It is our hope that through our collective efforts, we will help move society forward, inch by inch, differently abled person by differently abled person. PROJECTS
THE ANGEL CITY GAMES
Team Ezra is the driving force behind The Angel City Games, to be hosted by UCLA June 19-20th, 2015! The Angel City Games is a multi-sport competition for the physically challenged, hosted annually at the iconic and beautiful campus of UCLA. The inaugural Games will have sanctioned track and field events to be held June 19-20th, 2015. All children, adults, wounded warriors, and elite physically challenged athletes, both ambulatory and wheelchair-bound, are welcome to participate in The Angel City Games. The Angel City Games will be sanctioned by Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, USA, and the International Paralympic Committee. This year’s event will include cash prizes for top results, swimming and wheelchair exhibitions, Vendor Village and Kids Zone, track and field clinics, best SWAG bag in the industry, and the opportunity to meet Paralympian athletes, UCLA legends, Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes. FUNDRAISING – Team Ezra has been fundraising for various disability causes since 2006. We have supported a number of great organizations, including Challenged Athletes Foundation, Shriners Hospital, Camp No Limits, and Prosthetic Outreach Foundation. ADVOCACY & AWARENESS – Team Ezra is dedicated to advocating and raising awareness for the disabled community. Ezra’s motto is “You can Dream it, You can Hope for it, or You can Make It Happen.” Team Ezra believes that “Being Different is OK,” and that you have to “Focus on What You Have Versus What You Don’t Have.” Since Ezra was 4 years old, he has brought his message to schools. If you’d like Ezra to speak at your company, school, or organization, please contact us at [email protected]. EDUCATION – Team Ezra serves as a key outreach partner for the Antonio V. Glassberg Education Foundation. The mission of the Glassberg Foundation is to provide scholarships for physically disabled children to attend private schools. We believe strongly in the potential of private schools to provide physically disabled children a stronger sense of community, a better partnership with school administration to resolve issues, and an improved life trajectory.
