Benefit youths with disabilities Sept. 9 at annual Wheel-A-Thon in West Haven

A press release from the Center for Disability Rights

The 2012 Center for Disability Rights Wheel-A-Thon to benefit youth with disabilities takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Savin Rock Conference Center, 5 Rock St. in West Haven.

The Wheel-A-Thon is the annual community fundraiser for the Center for Disability Rights’ youth programs. Participants include individuals and teams that raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking or pushing themselves in a wheelchair over a 1.5-mile course along the West Haven shoreline. It is non-competitive, low-intensity and low-pressure. It is geared at raising awareness of barriers in the community that prevent the inclusion of people with disabilities in the every day life of their community. Most of all, CDR's Wheel-A-Thon is about having fun.

For individuals with disabilities, CDR’s service area extends from Milford and runs up the Connecticut Shoreline to Old Saybrook and Old Lyme; up to Middletown and Portland, and down through Meriden to the lower Naugatuck Valley.

Last year, individuals and members of 10 teams raised nearly $13,500 for CDR’s scholarship program. Each year, money raised goes toward college scholarships for students with disabilities; advocacy with students to improve their education; facilitation services for youth groups; and CDR youth transition services.

CDR is still looking for participants and sponsors for this year’s Wheel-A-Thon. For information, call Jill at (203) 934-7077, Ext. 21, or visit the Wheel-A-Thon web site at www.wheel-a-thon.org for more information on registering, sponsoring and participating.

Center for Disability Rights, 764-A Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT 06516; (203) 934-7077; www.cdr-ct.org; www.wheel-a-thon.org