HOLLAND, MI. — Sports can be a way to bring us all together, no matter our abilities. That's the mindset driving a special basketball event at Hope College that's changing lives one dribble at a time.
The Beautiful Lives Project, a nationwide nonprofit that helps adults and children with disabilities experience the joy of sports like basketball, returned to Hope College for the fourth year.
The men's basketball team hosted the annual event that brings participants with disabilities onto their courts to play alongside college athletes.
"Oftentimes individuals with disabilities are left out of these moments to live their dreams and experience sports," said Bryce Weiler, Co-founder of the Beautiful Lives Project.
The nonprofit gives adults and children with disabilities the opportunity to experience the love of the game.
"It allows the participants the chance to realize that there are people in the world who want to help them to be successful and help them to live their dreams in life," Weiler said.
For Weiler, the mission is personal because he is blind, but his love of sports was a drive that continues on.
So, when given his opportunity to be part of a college basketball team, he never looked back.
"I was able to sit on the men's basketball bench at the University of Evansville as a student from 2010 to 2014. Sitting on the Evansville basketball bench changed my life," Weiler said.
Hope College's basketball coach, Greg Mitchell embraces bringing the project to his team's courts each year.
"Just see them light up and have a chance to compete and have fun and dribble a basketball and shoot a basketball," Mitchell said. "You know, sport is an ultimate equalizer and a chance to celebrate life. Our guys really enjoy that, and we enjoy giving them the opportunity."
Participants like Layla enjoyed the experience too.
When asked what was fun about the event, she said talking to the players and getting to play with them was the highlight.
Creating these opportunities for others is why Weiler continues to work.
"I wanted to show that having a disability is not a disadvantage but an advantage for what individuals with disabilities persevere through and overcome on a daily basis," Weiler said.
Weiler hopes to create more of these opportunities for people with disabilities all across the country.
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