MADISON, Wis. – Spreading kindness like confetti; that’s the mission behind a local non-profit with big hopes and dreams.
Paul’s Party is a grass-roots charity that buys adaptive sports equipment for kids in Wisconsin with physical disabilities. It was started as a kindness campaign to honor the memory of Paul Natzke on the first birthday after his death. That first party led to his family starting the non-profit and has been growing ever since.
“He loved sports. He loved everything about sports. He loved watching sports. He loved competing in sports, but he used a wheelchair, so we were forced to adapt and figure out how to let him compete and he tried everything,” said Kathie Natzke, Paul’s mom and non-profit founder. “As a parent of a kid with special needs, I know how hard it is to find the equipment and get it paid for. We’re just trying to make that easier for parents and kids.”
Paul’s Party realizes that living with a disability is expensive. Natzke says most families wouldn’t be able to afford for their kids to try sports without some assistance because the equipment for just one sport can be in the thousands of dollars. Paul’s Party bridges that gap and helps kids get more active and make friends. They’ve been able to raise more than $100,000 so far, and that’s just the start.
For 15-year-old Jonah Wortman, who’s entering the 10th grade next week, Paul’s Party has helped him dream big, letting him move just like any other teenager.
Jonah is part of the Wisconsin Skeeters Sled Hockey Team. He also plays track and field. These sports require special equipment, which comes at a price.
With the support of Paul’s Party, Jonah’s mom, Jessie says it’s an incredibly humbling experience for her family.
“Paul’s Party started it all,” Wortman said. “We had very little knowledge of adaptive sports, and once we found out about them of course the first question you have is, how are we going to pay for all of this? In finding how much equipment is needed for adaptive sports, it’s far more than a regular sport. It was very intimidating. But Paul’s Party was embracing and supplied every single piece of equipment. We’ve paid for nothing.”
Here’s where you come in this weekend. Sunday’s special annual event is called Paulpalooza. It’s happening at Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s an all-day music festival, featuring free live music, food, beer, raffle prizes, a few fun activities for the whole family.
To learn more about Paul’s Party, click here.
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