Challenged Athletes Foundation Celebrates Empowerment Through Sport

On May 31, Pier 27 hosted a very special event, as the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) gathered over 400 friends and supporters for its annual Celebration of Heart Gala. The Foundation is dedicated to empowering individuals with physical disabilities to embrace vibrant, active lives, and helps its beneficiaries to realize the increased self-esteem and independence that sport and physical activity brings to their lives.

The night’s program featured a program honoring 50 local athletes and their families, including CAF Bay Area grant recipients Garnett Silver-Hall, Breezy Bochenek, and Paralympic hopefuls Mia Emory and Kelly Worrel. These inspiring individuals took the stage to share the positive impact CAF has had on their lives, and to embody the evening’s theme: Power of Dreams.

Since 1994, CAF has raised $178 million and funded over 48,000 grants to athletes of all ages and abilities, in all 50 states and 73 countries. CAF’s expansion in Northern California has been bolstered by partnerships with top-tier organizations, including the Golden State Warriors and the San Francisco Giants. These collaborations have amplified CAF’s reach and impact, allowing for a variety of adaptive sports programs, such as adaptive golf clinics at the Olympic Club, and ski clinics at spectacular Lake Tahoe. This year’s gala raised over $800,000 for these life-changing programs.