As the President and CEO of Ability360, Phil Pangrazio know firsthand how sports matter. A former wheelchair rugby player, Phil knows the skills he learned on the court have given him many valuable experiences he uses daily to lead this organization.

As 2018 comes to a close, we need your help. Your donation will give us the resources to maintain, support and create programs for adaptive athletes at all levels. Your donation allows us to continue to create more success stories, just like the athletes you’ve seen featured in this series.

Sports Matter to a young person who has never had the opportunity to be on a team.

Sports Matter to an athlete who is now living with a new reality after an accident.

Sports Matter to a parent trying to provide their child with a disability with the same opportunities as their peers.

Sports Matter. You matter, especially at Ability360. As the year comes to a close, we humbly ask you to join our team. Help us support our over 2,500 members and more importantly, their dreams.

Please note, through contributions to Qualifying Charitable Organizations (Working Poor Tax Credit), you can donate your Arizona Tax Credit to Ability360.

Ryan Pinney is an Air Force veteran who sustained a spinal injury in 2012. These days, he is racing his handcycle in competitions around the world. His story is a great example of how we work with our military members to get them involved with sports as a way to overcome a life-altering injury.

Ryan is a perfect example of "Why Sports Matter.” Your donation supports both our teams and our youth development programs which introduce kids to adaptive athletics and recreation.

Big thanks to Amy Van Dyken for all her support of Ability360. When we sat down to interview Amy about why sports matter, we learned how Amy began to swim because of a debilitating health situation. Now she’s going all in on adaptive CrossFit.

Our interview lasted near thirty minutes. Amy was quick to give many great reasons how sports can expose a person with a disability to so much of what they’ll need to prepare them for their future.

Ernie Chun came to Phoenix to play Wheelchair Rugby for the 360 Heat. The has team won three national championships in the five years. Now Ernie will begin to set his sights on making the squad for Team USA as it prepares for the 2020 Paralympics in Japan.

So why do sports matter? Ability360 is home to numerous teams who are striving to win. Along with developing the fundamentals and making sure we include as many people as possible, we hope our athletes experience the challenges it takes to win in any competition. We know they’ll encounter the same challenges beyond sports and will have the confidence to take them on and prevail.

Stephen Hernandez is a high school student on a mission. And Ability360 has given him skills on and off the court to accomplish his dreams to play wheelchair basketball in college. We know that his dedication and determination will keep hin on track to do so. Remember his name. You’ll see it in the record books soon.

So why do sports matter? At Ability360, the skills that are learned on the court, in the pool, on the rock wall or in the gym, translate to confidence and success outside our walls. Once you’ve seen what you can achieve in sports, you know you can tackle anything life throws your way too.

Questions? Please contact Meghan Fable at meghanf@ability360.org