Colorado Springs – As a toddler, Biana Maldonado fell so hard, so often, she lost a few teeth.
The tendons in her knees are stretched like those of an 85-year-old woman. Because she is autistic, her brain did not send signals fast enough for her to brace herself.
On a recent Saturday, 5-year-old Biana stepped onto a basketball court at First Presbyterian Church and dribbled as she ran with the help of orthopedic braces. She was far too busy to notice the look in her mother’s eyes.
“I started crying,” Jennifer Maldonado said. “It’s cool; everybody has a chance to get to play.”
On the court, two dozen children with special needs, ages 2 to 14, listened to Coach Collin Grant explain basketball fundamentals. Grant runs a program called Mighty Kids, offering soccer, basketball and crafts to children with any kind of disability.
Mighty Kids started three years ago to fill a need in the community – giving children with special needs a chance to play, and giving parents a chance to relax. Grant said it also is an opportunity to “share the love of Christ with people.”
“Having several families in our church who had kids with special needs and in talking to them, … sports and recreation seemed to be a way we could reach out,” said Grant, 31, who was a recreation major in college before getting a degree in youth ministry.
He said the programs, which are self-funded through participant fees, have drawn groups of about 60 kids from the start. While those numbers surpassed his expectations, Grant said spreading the word about the program has been one of the biggest difficulties.
“Part of that is because we’re a church, so it’s harder to get information out through public schools because I think they’re afraid of pushing something religious,” he said.
During the recent basketball clinic, Grant guided the children to center court.
“Line up on the black line,” he said.
One of the first on the line was Danette Castro, 13, a child with Down syndrome.
When Grant yelled “green light,” Castro drove with the ball to the end of the gym.
“Red light.”
Her red and white Nike hightops stop on the dime. During a break, Danette explained that basketball is her favorite sport.
“Play for the Lakers,” she said. “Kobe Bryant.”
Laura Hemsworth’s son Jake, 6, has an undiagnosed muscle condition. Three years ago, he started playing soccer with Mighty Kids.
“It was an opportunity for him to play a sport and be a typical little boy,” Hemsworth said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for all of these families to get out on a Saturday with their kids that aren’t on the teams like the rest of the children,” Hemsworth said. “What an opportunity for all these kids to be together and not be self-conscious about their adaptive devices. Jake wears a splint on his leg, and he was really embarrassed. I told him we were going to see Coach Collin and he said, ‘Oh, OK.”‘
Zachary Bachyrycz got a new basketball shirt and pants for the Mighty Kids program.
His mother, Dixie Bachyrycz, said the sight of his uniform is all it takes to light her son’s spirit.
When it was time to leave for the gym on a recent Saturday, Zachary needed little coaxing.
“Ball,” he said. “Ball.”
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
