Every other week of the NHPR, we highlight a local non -profit that is providing a great service in the Granite state here. On this episode of Gioback New Hampshire, we hear from the New England Healing Sports Association.
First established in 1972, Nehsa serves individuals and families through adaptive sports, which promotes healing and success.
New England Healing Sports Association
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New England Healing Sports Association
This transcript has been modified for a light clarity.
Carly Baskam: My name is Karley Baskam. I am the Executive Director of the New England Healing Sports Association.
Kelly Allen: And my name is Kelly Allen, and I’m here in the Nehsa program coordinator.
Carly Baskam: We are an unprecedented, adaptive sports organization that helps people with disabilities serve and get them out of sports and entertainment. We are programming throughout the year. In the winter months, our biggest program is our and Snowboard programming. We also have snow during the winter and once it gets hot, we get adaptive hiking, caking and pedal boarding.
Carly Baskam: One of the great things with our organization is that we serve people through our volunteer base. We have a huge voluntary base. Right now, we are just more than 200 active volunteers within the organization. So anyone who comes to participate in our organization, volunteers are really taking them out, mobilizing them and instructing them in whatever activity is.
Mike Moran: My name is Mike Morin. I am a US Air Force veteran, disabled experienced. I volunteer in Nehsa. I did this program in 2015, as a disabled veteran, through the Winter Sports Program, which is here in Mount Snapy, through the Boston VA Healthcare System and Nehsa. I left the hill here, looked at the hill, and I am like “There is no way I’m going to do it.” By the end of the week, I was on the skiing, and for a few years learning how to ski with Nehsa, I was asked if I would put a package with them to become a board member, and I submitted my package and accepted it.
Carly Baskam: You are a non -profit organization, so our biggest challenge and a challenge that is common on board for non -profit people is funds, you know. We work on a wonderful budget, we always look at new ways to add new donors to fundraising and grant, and make sure we are eligible to pay the bills and also offer our athletes at a very low cost.
For people with disabilities, there are many medical expenses that are only in their daily life. And so for us here in Nehsa, the important thing is that we can remove some of this financial burden. We have a cost to our programs, but we try to keep our costs, very low, so that this is not a financial burden for players coming to our programs and participating.
Kelly Allen: Every day there is a victory. I mean, every day you come in and this door operates different stories.
Carly Baskam: I started here as an internal, and I loved the organization’s mission, but also that people who were ready to come to Nehsa. I feel very fortunate that I will come to work and entertain every day, enjoy my job and bring many meaningful experiences for people with disabilities.
Kelly Allen: I was actually a 2016 representative at the Para Olympic Games in Rio, and I was a spirits cake racer. One day I only realized that this was my main purpose. It was my gold medal, which was nasty and this is my dream.
Mike Moran: Smiles on everyone’s faces that come from the door to participate in the program. Whether you are a student athlete or a volunteer, Perma-Grin is the one I impose in the entire year of rain or snow at any time of the year. If the weather is bad, we still enjoy. We find ways to entertain, and once you get around the group of minds, it is very easy to work. And this is a group of people with mind.
