“To spend a week without being asked what’s wrong… that’s powerful.”
Hannah arrived at Victory Junction, the SeriousFun camp in North Carolina, with a love for basketball and a quiet hope to belong. Too often in her life, people noticed her wheelchair before they noticed her talent. At camp, everything changed. She was seen first as an athlete, leader, and friend.
On the court with other campers who use wheelchairs, Hannah played basketball the way she always wanted to and felt part of a real team. The freedom and confidence she felt as a result changed Hannah in lasting ways, helping her learn life skills that reached beyond the court. Before she knew it, Hannah was courageously navigating new spaces, advocating for her needs, and trusting herself in unfamiliar situations.
Through her experience at camp, Hannah and her parents realized that independent living was possible.
Hannah turned the passion that camp inspired into purpose. She launched wheelchair basketball clinics in North Carolina, bringing sport and community to kids who, like her, wanted to play.
She also founded See It, Be It, a project shining a spotlight on people with disabilities working in a wide range of careers; her goal is to help young people imagine futures they might not have seen before, like camp did for her.
Her work received recognition on the national stage when Hannah received the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the 2024 ESPYs. That honor reflects what supporters like you make possible: a young person seen and strengthened by camp, then empowered to lead and uplift others.
“Going to Victory Junction opened all the doors for me,” Hannah says. “Camp convinced me and my parents that I could be independent one day, that I could go to college.”
Today, as a recent college graduate and mentor to younger athletes, Hannah is proof that your support creates opportunities that last a lifetime.
Because of your generosity, kids like Hannah find a doorway to independence and then walk through it. Now through December 31, your gift will have twice the impact thanks to a generous match. Help more young people discover what’s possible when they’re seen for who they are and given the tools to lead at seriousfun.org.
