success

My recent story on Dave Kiley is getting more feedback than anything I've written in a long time. Dave emailed yesterday to tell me that the story led to a $5,000 donation to his nonprofit organization, Turning Point. That, to me, is a successful story.

He also sent some photos of his wheelchair basketball team - the kids team that he coaches - hanging out with the actor Will Farrell. Farrell's new movie, "Talladega Nights," has a scene where he's playing wheelchair basketball. Kiley and some other players from his area were asked to be in it, and Dave - always thinking of his kids - invited Farrell to a juniors tournament. Farrell attended, and played a little ball with the team. I can imagine the kids were thrilled.

Dave sent me a link to the movie's trailer, and sure enough, in a very brief shot of a wheelchair basketball game, I see Kiley gliding by. I would normally never see "Talladega Nights" - not exactly my cup of tea - but now I'll have to rent it.

Here are two pics Dave sent of his team with Will Farrell. You'll notice the kids' chairs look huge; the wheels are cambered (angled outwards) and there's a bumper rim along the front. These are basketball chairs, designed and used specifically for this sport. The kids' everyday chairs don't look like that.