ey kids! You'll be saying "WOW"
when you discover a website that will let you meet other young
people and will give you fun things to do online. It's called
Winners on Wheels. WOW makes kids in wheelchairs feel better
and believe in what they can do in life as they grow up. It
makes kids ages six through eighteen think about achieving their
goals, and it gives young people like you a chance to realize
they can get things done without help all the time from mom
and dad. The site helps each kid who uses it learn at his or
her own level, so there's no pressure to compete with what your
other friends are doing when they use the site too.
There's a lot for you to do through
Winners on Wheels. You can send in your stories, poems and pictures
and WOW will post them online. The site also offers cool online
games to play. The site will offer you a basic lesson in using
the Internet from A to Z. There's even a place for your parents
to
chat with other parents, and there are links so mom and dad
can learn more
about disability issues.
Here's why some other young people
are saying WOW when they visit the
website. Jennifer Washington of Orland Park, IL is ten years
old. She says,
"I get to play with my friend, Amy. We don't go to the
same school. At WOW we get to do everything together."
"I like to try new things
and I can do stuff if I want to, " says nine year
old Roger Pettit of San Clemente, CA.
Part of the fun you'll enjoy with
Winners on Wheels is meeting kids just like
you. Groups called Circles meet twice a month in places across
America. A volunteer leader and other trained staff from WOW
lead the Circles and the fun. WOW's leaders believe every child
is a winner who joins in the fun and the lessons.
WOW is set up like Boy Scouts or
Girl Scouts. It offers more than fifty
badges that teach you skills you'll use in society as you grow
up. Those
badges that you earn are called Wheels. They cover subjects
like Banking,
Bowling, Community Service, Goal Setting, Hockey, Music, Nature
and Personal Safety.
A smart woman with a lot of energy
decided to set up Winners on Wheels in Fresno, California in
1991. Marilyn Hamilton uses a wheelchair. She set up the Quickie
Wheelchair Company, which made big improvements for the wheelchair
industry in the last twenty years. Hamilton is also an athlete.
She won two silver medals in the Paralympic Ski Championships
and has twice won the US Women's Open Wheelchair Tennis Tournament.
Hamilton realized all she can do in life while using a wheelchair,
and she set up Winners on Wheels to make sure kids realize the
same thing.
Winners on Wheels grew a lot since 1991. It now has programs
reaching
children in 22 states across America. Kids in 36 cities in the
United States
call themselves winners and take part in the fun. They have
fun online, make new friends, and earn badges that teach lessons
to use all throughout their lives. Imagine all that Ms. Hamilton
has been able to do for other people, all because she believed
in herself. Now imagine all you can do, and you'll be saying
"WOW".
Visit www.wowusa.com
for more information on Winners on Wheels.
