Last weekend, Kyle Sports for Special Needs – an adaptive sports group for children with special needs – held their first fundraiser of the school year at William Floyd Middle School.
The club was founded by Debbie Metz about 14 years ago and she has kept the club going as the kids come in every other Saturday to play adaptive sports and meet new friends.
The event was attended by many parents, donors, club members, and local elected officials Jim Mazzarella and Karen Dunne-Kesnig, who had taken some time out of their busy schedules before election day to make an appearance at the lo fundraiser.
“The event went well,” Metz told the South Shore Press. “Jim Mazzarella and Karen Dunne-Kesnig were there and took pictures with everyone. The event was to help us secure the proper equipment for Kyle Sports for Special Needs. Mastic Sports Club has to purchase all of the adaptive sports equipment and donations and money collected from fundraisers help us purchase equipment.”
Metz created the club alongside Kyle Meier, a Mastic Beach resident who was born with multiple physical disabilities which have impacted his ability to grow at a typical rate. Despite his disabilities and the numerous surgeries he underwent, Kyle was determined to compete in organized sports. Some of the early videos of the club’s meetings can be found on Metz's personal YouTube account that have videos that date back to 2008.
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Supervisor Elect Dan Panico (Back Left) Pictured with Santa Claus,
Mrs.Claus, and the Important Figures from Kyle's Sports. File Photo
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With all the support she has received from the community, parents, and local elected officials in the past, Metz now hopes to partner up with the William Floyd School District in the near future in order to secure adaptive bikes at the schools so the kids can have easier access to them during the bi-monthly meetups at the middle school.
“We (Kyle Sports for Special Needs) want to partner with the district to get the AMBUCS (adaptive bikes) that are custom made for the kids based on their disability.” Metz said. “The district has supported us for 14 years and we want to make each school have these specific bikes for these kids.”
If you have a child that is looking to join the Kyle Sports for Special Needs program, you can contact Debbie Metz by calling (631) 767-4354 or emailing Debbiemetz22@gmail.com for more information.