Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
The Equipment Loans of the Keweenaw (ELK) is a local non-profit that originally started to start loaning out adaptive or medical equipment to locals in need.
They have recently expanded to start loaning out adaptive sports equipment (0:52-1:14, 1:29-1:48).
“So ELK is an equipment loaner closet, and we have been around for 12 years. We loan durable medical equipment, so wheelchairs, walkers, standers, that type of thing to local kids in the tri-county area but we also over the last two years have expanded into obtaining and providing opportunities in adaptive sports and recreation.” Director of Equipment Loans of the Keweenaw, Monica Aho.
“I was paralyzed three years ago, and Monica was my first physical therapist in Houghton, and I just said I wanted to do adaptive sports because I did a lot of sports before [getting paralyzed], like track and stuff, and so I kind of roped Monica into getting equipment and all that and now that I’m going to college, she’s continuing that with ELK.” – Adaptive athlete at the Univeristy of Michigan and inspiration behind ELK, Maria Velat
They currently have winter sports such as sit-skiing and sled hockey, both of which are popular in their community.
Last weekend their biggest event of the year occurred called Power the UP- an invitational track meet where Paralympians and para-athletes from University of Michigan met at the Houghton High school.
“So the Upper Peninsula Invitational was a track and field clinic. We had Maria’s teammates from the University of Michigan come up and provide training, and then we also had Paralympian Susannah Scaroni and adaptive track coach and Paralympian Amie Day come and instruct people all about adaptive racing. So how to use the equipment, propel, how to get in and out of the chairs, and then also a clinic on how to integrate an adaptive athlete onto a traditional track and field team.” – Director of Equipment Loans of the Keweenaw, Monica Aho.
Find more information on their website here.
