Legapalooza Testimonials
February 1, 2015
I have been a member of D.A.N. for almost five years now. During that time, I have been blessed to be able to attend two A.C.A. National Conferences, hear multiple speakers, begin new lifetime friendships and have Ellen and Tommy come into my life. I could go on and on about those two, but if you know them or have met them one time, you know what I mean.
This past year I went on a journey that I never would have thought I would be able to start, much less complete. I went to San Antonio in February of 2014 to do some PR work for a foundation based in Dallas. After watching a group of guys play amputee soccer for an hour or two, I told myself to get down there and see how fast my 40 yard dash time compared to theirs. Well I was happy to hear that I had the 4th fastest time of the day! The coach of the US MENS NATIONAL AMPUTEE SOCCER TEAM then approached me and asked how long I had played soccer, if I had played amputee soccer and would I be interested in trying out for the team? Without hesitation I said "Yes Sir, I would be honored!" So now I'm on cloud nine and on my way back to Dallas. But how was I going to be able to afford this journey? I then called Ellen Fernandes, leader of the Dallas Amputee Network and told her my exciting news. Ellen said that D.A.N. would support me as far as I wanted to go in this pursuit.
So I got on the scale on February 9th and weighed in at 238lbs. I knew I had to make a drastic change in my life if I was going to even have a shot at the team. I should tell you now that there were only 12 spots open and 2 of those were for goalies. So I started working out 6 days a week, eating right and doing whatever I could to improve my mind and body. Over the next year I was able to go to try-outs in Austin, TX, Myrtle Beach, SC, and Baltimore, MD to train with the team to see if I made the next cut. By the time I went to Baltimore, I weighed in at 183.8 lbs. I had transformed my entire body by over 50 lbs!! Some of the player’s mothers were re-introducing themselves to me. I felt great and at the end of the weekend the Coach announced who had made the team. When I heard my name, I wanted to burst into tears with joy for all the work I had put into this journey.
So I had made The U.S. MENS NATIONAL AMPUTEE SOCCER TEAM and got to go to Culiacan, Mexico for the World Cup of Amputee Soccer. There were 32 international teams represented there. We were just hoping to make it out of our group. We did that, made it to the round of 16 and despite being unranked, are now are 12th in the WORLD! Not too bad for a group of guys that just met last year to play a little soccer, if you ask me.
I say all of that to say this... I do not know where I would be without The Dallas Amputee Network and people like Tommy who go above and beyond to help fund people like me so I can chase a dream for not only myself, but for other D.A.N. members who might see my story and get inspired to chase a goal of their own. D.A.N. supported me all of last year to get to and from those training camps, food, lodging and just moral support. I would not have EVER had the opportunities I had last year without D.A.N.'s support. Because remember, no matter how bad you think you have it in life, it could always be worse. I hope you can see the direct impact that people and donors like you have on people like me and The Dallas Amputee Network. "Don't ever underestimate the impact you can have on somebody's life!!"
Craig Till
Article from The Amputee Coalition Biweekly Newsletter July 11, 2011
Vol 1, Iss. 9
The Dallas Amputee Network’s Conference report:
The Dallas Amputee Network (DAN) shares a report on some of it’s pre-conference activities and member observations on the conference.
DAN has been a nonprofit 501©3 organization for 9 years and is funded by prosthetists and private individuals in the Dallas area. Over the years, they have held raffles and a silent auction to raise money to send members to the Amputee Coalition National Conference, and several businesses and corporations have donated funds as well.
For the past 30 years, DAN member Tommy Donahue and his friends have celebrated the anniversary of his first prosthesis with a huge party. His logo of a man drinking out of his prosthetic leg has been popular, and as the design on the shirts has become more elaborate, more people want to buy them.
Starting in 2010 Tommy decided that DAN should benefit from his event by raffling off many prizes donated by his friends and by selling special “Legapalooza” shirts, hats and buttons. In 2010 this brought in over $3,000. The second annual Legapalooza was held in February 2011, and the proceeds netted almost $9,000 for DAN.
With the help of Legapalooza DAN was able to send 15 members to the conference, 10 of whom were first-timers.
Letters from Dallas Amputee Members
I want to say Thank You for all you have done and all you are doing for the Amputee Community. Especially us at D.A.N. I’m a new amputee and I attended my first Legapalooza (2010) event. It was great, and you are great to help others thru your fundraiser. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’ve learned that because of what you shared and gave, I’m one of the one’s to be able to go to the A.C.A. National Conference. If your funds weren’t given to D.A.N., I wouldn’t have been able to attend. I do count my blessings.
Sondra P.
Thank You for the tremendous work you did in raising funds for the Dallas Amputee Network through the Legapalooza XXX event. Your donation was directly responsible for our group being able to send such a large number of people to the Amputee Coalition Conference in Kansas City. I personally benefitted by participating in the Support Group Summit, the Peer Visitor Training, Seeing the new prosthetic technology and talking to vendors, and especially by taking part in Robert Gailey’s Amputee Sport and Performance Enhancement Clinic which may actually be slightly misnamed; the clinic just plain helped everyone learn to walk more efficiently and effectively! We want you to know your efforts and your thoughtfulness mean a great deal to us.
Dan J.
The A.C.A. Conference was most beneficial to me. This was my first conference and I truly had a wonderful experience. Being with other amputees seems to give one acceptance automatically. I learned so much from the clinics – especially the Gait Clinic. I walked in with my cane and came out not needing one. When I got home I went to my grand-sons baseball game without my cane. My son and daughter-in-law remarked I usually am walking behind them but I was walking faster now.
The dinner/dance the closing night was a blast! I’ve not had so much fun since – well I can’t remember when! When I lost my leg in 1999 I thought my dancing days were over – now I realize I can dance again! I want to thank you again for making it possible for me to attend the A.C.A. Conference.
Kathy W.
There were 15 D.A.N. members at the conference this year. More than any other support group represented. We had a wonderful time and I wanted to thank you so much again for raising all the money needed to pay for expenses. Not only registration, but the hotel and transportation as well. We never could afford to do that without you and we appreciate all that you did for us. You’re wonderful!
Ellen F.
All of us in the Dallas Amputee Network appreciate you so much! Because of all the money you raised for us , there are 15 delegates from D.A.N. going to the A.C.A. Conference in Kansas City (June 1-5). I just hope there aren’t any more tornados going through that area.!
Sandy S.