Brandon introduced our speaker today - Coach Cam ( Linwood) who founded the Buddy League in Canada which is an adaptive and fully accessible baseball program in Cambridge that partners with the Jays Care Foundation. The program was founded in 2018 and runs summer programs focused on fun, teamwork, and building long lasting friendships. It is built upon a quote that was mentioned a few times - Access gets someone through the door, BELONGING gives them a reason to come back. Cam discussed how disability is not the greatest barrier - its expectations - it gives families who have children with mild to severe challenges the opportunity to see their children be welcomed, cared for, engaged and having a great time - playing a sport to whatever ability they can manage. Cam's volunteer team is trained and no one panics when their is a melt down. They help children feel included and safe and the parents can experience what real involvement of sports and teams provides- an avenue where parents can get to know and engage with other parents - support, talk and most importantly see their children enjoy the challenges, and successes of sport. Cam also brought with the AL East Division Championship Ring - it certainly was a great year for the Jays - you can also google Jays foundation to see which other children's charities they support. Cam is a true community leader and if you would like to volunteer or donate check out Buddyleaguecanada.com Kristen thanked our speaker and Pres Russ explained the club will immunize 10 children against polio for speaking
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