AFL Australia Presents $2,000 Grant to Disability Sport & Recreation

AFL, a leading global fiber optics manufacturer and service provider, presented a $2,000 grant to Disability Sport & Recreation (DSR) in support of its WheelTalk School Awareness Program. The program is geared toward educating students to better understand people facing disabilities and the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle.

The AFL grant will provide assistance with the production of sports wheelchairs designated for the program’s activity components and aid in efforts to deliver the WheelTalk School Awareness Program to Victorian school children. The $2,000 WheelTalk grant was presented to WheelTalk presenters, Sam Bramham and Melanie Adams, and Disability Sport & Recreation CEO, Rob Anderson.

Bramham and Adams have been involved with Disability Sport & Recreation since they were young. The sporting opportunities they were exposed to and the support they received through the organisation paved the way for them to both represent their country on the world’s sporting stage. Bramham won gold and silver medals at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Adams is a member of the Australian Gliders wheelchair basketball team, who won bronze at the recent Osaka Friendship Games.

“Our WheelTalk program reaches over 20,000 students per year in primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions and community groups across the state,” said Anderson. “The purchase of new wheelchairs will enable us to continue raising awareness about people with disabilities and provide a better understanding of the issues they face.”

WheelTalk is a 1.5 hour session comprised of a 30-minute presentation from ambassadors who discuss how disability has impacted their lives. The presentation ends with a question and answer session followed by an activity component, where students have the opportunity to play in a number of different wheelchair sports using the sports wheelchairs brought to the session.
 
“WheelTalk is a moving program that is educational and informative,” commented Aungwin Tin, general manager for AFL Australia. “By reaching out to students at a young age, they get a better understanding of what it’s like to live with a disability and they have the opportunity to ask questions and learn. It’s a life-changing experience for them.”

AFL has an extensive Community Outreach Program that provides grants, sponsorships, employee engagement projects, disaster relief and more. For additional information on AFL and its community initiatives, visit www.AFLglobal.com.


About AFL
AFL provides industry-leading products and services to the electric utility, broadband, communications, factory, enterprise, wireless and transit rail markets as well as the emerging markets of oil and gas, mining, nuclear, avionics, medical, renewable and intelligent grid. The company’s diverse product portfolio includes fiber optic cable, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectors, fusion splicers, test equipment and training. AFL’s service portfolio includes market-leading positions with the foremost communications companies supporting inside plant central office, EF&I, outside plant, enterprise and wireless areas.

Founded in 1984, AFL is proud to offer engineering expertise, exceptional products and reliable service that help our customers improve their critical and electrical infrastructure. AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com. 

About Disability Sport & Recreation
Disability Sport & Recreation (DSR) is a registered service provider, state sporting association, TAC community group provider and a registered charity. DSR works in partnership with Victorians with disability, caregivers, volunteers, sport and recreation sector representatives, disability service organizations, schools, researchers, health professionals, government and philanthropic organizations and community groups to fulfill its mission of providing and promoting positive health outcomes for Victorians with disability through participation in sport and recreation. For more information, visit www.dsr.org.au.