ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic Dreamers, the youth wheelchair basketball team, received two grants totaling $22,500 to support the team.
It will help cover the costs of travel, wheelchair equipment, uniforms, and basketballs.
The players love the support, just like their love for the game.
“Wheelchair basketball is really fun for me,” Chance Kern said, one of the players on the Orlando Magic Dreamers. “I get to be myself around all of my friends and showcase my skills in the sport I love.”
A new teammate of Kern’s, Riley Cameron, just started playing basketball.
“My mom and my dad used to play basketball,” Cameron said. “It sounded fun, and I just wanted to do it.”
Chance’s mom, Amanda Kern, was instrumental in helping Dreamplex secure the two grants for the wheelchair basketball team. One grant is from Dick’s Sporting Goods for $7,500, and the other is $15,000 from Orange County.
Kern said athletic wheelchairs can cost up to $7,000 alone.
“To be able to offset some of those costs and make it a little more affordable is huge to us,” Kern said. “It helps us build a program that just shows these kids in Central Florida that there’s opportunities right here in Orlando that they can play wheelchair basketball.”
The financial support helps kids like Cameron the chance to enjoy basketball.
“It’s just fun when you get to play.”
For Chance Kern, playing on the Orlando Magic Dreamers keeps him dreaming big.
“I would love to play in the Olympics,” Kern said. “That’s probably my number one goal.”
To donate to the Orlando Magic Dreamers, you can visit the Dreamplex website or use Venmo or Cash App by searching “CFLDREAMPLEX.”
For the month of July, you can text “CONTRIBUTE” to 90412 and participate in a free survey on top brands. Every survey awards $1.60 to the Orlando Magic Dreamers, and you can do up to 75 surveys.