Trinity Services Participates in 'Court of Dreams' Event!
JOLIET, IL – On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Trinity Services participated in a ‘Court of Dreams’ event sponsored by the Beautiful Lives Project (BLP), a national nonprofit organization that gives people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in activities and events that may not have been available to them previously due to physical or facility limitations.
The event, hosted by the University of St. Francis (USF), offered sixty individuals with disabilities the opportunity to join the USF men’s and women’s basketball teams on the court to learn basketball fundamentals and run through drills.
“We create immersive events aimed at defeating isolation within the disabled community and sparking deeper conversations about the value of integrating individuals with disabilities into the workforce,” said Bryce Weiler, co-founder of BLP. “We work with companies, sports teams, and community organizations to host these custom events to help defeat isolation today, break down social biases tomorrow, and generate long-term actions that will create a better quality of life for people with disabilities and special needs in the future.”
Each unique BLP event provides the opportunity to experience sports, performing arts, visual arts, nature, or wellness in an inclusive environment.
“I know how important events such as this can be, as I was able to sit on the bench at the University of Evansville and experience college basketball,” said Weiler, who is blind. “It changed my life. Through that experience, I wanted to help those with disabilities to find people who believed in them and who wanted to help them have a successful life.”
Trinity participants arrived at the Pat Sullivan Center in Joliet at 9:30 in the morning for check-in and then took the court. USF men’s and women’s players were positioned at skill stations around the gym. Participants received instruction on shooting, dribbling, and ball handing.
Michelle Gross, a Trinity employee and University of St. Francis alum who attended the event, was very impressed with the players. “They did a great job working with the people we support,” explained Gross. “The players were very patient and took the time to work with every person at each station. Our participants did really well, especially with their ball handing and shooting.”
BLP will host another ‘Court of Dreams’ event at the University of Illinois/Chicago in February and then return to the University of St. Francis next October.
“It was really cool,” said Gross. “I was proud to be a USF alum and proud to be from Trinity. It was great to see our people participate and engage in all the activities. The next day, some of our folks asked when we were going to let them play basketball again. I hope Trinity does this more often.”
To learn more about the Beautiful Lives Project go to www.beautifullives.org. To learn more about Trinity Services go to www.trinityservices.org.