Gliding Stars

Gliding Stars aims to make all our skaters challenged with disabilities healthier, happier and more socially satisfied through interaction with others while gaining trusted friendships on the ice. \n\nGliding Stars addresses the basic need of children and adults with disabilities who have often been excluded from most sports for decades. Ice-skating is a particularly challenging sport as you are balancing on very thin blades moving across a very slippery surface and must maintain an upright position while utilizing your torso, legs, and every muscle group. Fine and gross motor coordination are greatly enhanced by ice-skating as well as balance and proprioception, which is knowing where your body is in space and time.

At the beginning of the season each skater is assessed and put in a particular group geared to their skills. We serve skaters with very serious disabilities, often multiple disabilities, and each skater is individually assessed for what type of adaptive equipment would serve them best. Gliding Stars has designed an entire line of walkers, skates, and harnesses that allow a safe way to become an ice skater no matter what their challenges. As they progress throughout the year skaters are assessed on both skating skills and their cooperation and participation with the volunteers and teachers on and off the ice. After the assessment they may be promoted to the next skill level and teaching group. \n\nWhile learning individual skills and being part of a team they are accomplishing something that they never dreamed they could do. All of this happens through the Magic of Ice Skating and performing in a year end spectacular in front of their family, friends and entire community.\n\nSelf-esteem grows as one accomplishes new tasks and skills especially if the skater was somewhat afraid of them prior to that accomplishment. Confidence really comes from competence, actually learning to do it by yourself. Gliding Stars has created a stepped learning system that allows each skater to become the very best that he or she is capable of. \n\nEach of our 7 chapters work tirelessly in their communities to serve their skaters and meet with as many prospective supporters as possible. They also run and manage fundraising events.

We currently have 7 chapters that serve children and adults with disabilities, often with very serious or multiple disabilities that require a stepped learning system, great specifically designed equipment, and trained volunteers; these systems we have honed over our 44 years of doing this work. \n\nWe are the oldest therapeutic ice skating program in the country, our founder, Elizabeth O'Donnell, began this work in 1976. She developed a line of ice skates that serve skaters that wear orthotics; AFO's, RGO's, SMO's. These are generally worn by people who have cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or traumatic brain injuries. There is an additional skate for people that pronate where the foot rolls in and have little to no arch. Additionally, she designed a line of walkers that help skaters that are capable of being upright as well as those that need to utilize crutches or wheelchairs due to limited mobility. There is a special bar seat walker for that group of skaters. Our harnesses helps with posture, balance, and keeping the torso upright. \n\nWe have a 99% volunteer team across our 7 chapters that keep our costs down while making our skaters dreams come true. We have the knowledge, experience, and systems to create new chapters in the parts of the country that are not being served.

Gliding Stars has been helping people since 1994 and continues to have a strong base where we have multiple generations skating with us. \n\nWe have grown to 7 chapters and span across 5 states. We have a company that manufacturers all of our adaptive equipment. Gliding Stars created a proven training program for our volunteers that recently includes a video based training program. \n\nEnrollment has been stable but we are looking to expand. \n\nGliding Stars would like to widen its reach to the community and start up new chapters in other areas of the country. We are also looking into adding additional programs to other groups that serve people with disabilities. We would like to raise more funds so we can seed the growth of more chapters and help create miracles on the ice for their communities.