Challenged Athletes Foundation Youth Adaptive Sports Programs
9591 Waples St., San Diego, CA 92121
About
Challenged Athletes Foundation Youth Adaptive Sports Programs are part of the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s work with athletes who have physical disabilities. The programs are connected to free adaptive classes and community education events that are hosted throughout the year.
• Schedule: Free adaptive classes and community education events are hosted throughout the year
For more than 30 years, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has supported athletes with physical disabilities and has raised over $200 million as what is described as the largest global adaptive sports funder. The foundation’s mission is to provide opportunity, access, and belonging for athletes with physical disabilities because it states that sport transforms lives. CAF empowers athletes with physical disabilities by providing funding for adaptive sports equipment, training, and community support, and it provides grants for adaptive equipment, gym access, and support for training and competition. CAF launched Operation Rebound for service members and veterans and also launched virtual programs that reached athletes in more than 50 countries.
CAF’s leadership and board include co-founders Bob Babbitt, Jeffrey Essakow, and Rick Kozlowski, along with board secretary Dean Roeper and members Clive Essakow, Danny Gabriel, Jeff Jacobs, and David Jochim. The leadership team includes Bob Babbitt as co-founder and CAF Ambassador, Kristine Entwistle as Chief Executive Director, Virginia Tinley as Chief Legacy Officer, Lorrie Hall as Chief Accounting Officer, Danielle Simmons as Chief Marketing Officer, Lauren Friedman as Chief People Officer, Patrick Lawrence as Chief Programs Officer, and Susan Butler as NorCal Senior Director of Development. Regional offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Boise, and New York support regional athletes, sponsors, fundraisers, and donors in their communities.
CAF programs include educational programs, donor appreciation evenings, media outreach, partner meetings, free adaptive classes, and community education events. Testimonials from participants describe CAF as creating space for athletes with physical disabilities to engage in sport and community, offering mentorship among athletes, and providing a sense of friends, family, and purpose. One testimonial states that Operation Rebound changed a participant’s life after significant weight loss and progress from using an automatic wheelchair to earning a Black Belt and opening a martial arts studio.
Last updated May 17, 2026.
• Schedule: Free adaptive classes and community education events are hosted throughout the year
For more than 30 years, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has supported athletes with physical disabilities and has raised over $200 million as what is described as the largest global adaptive sports funder. The foundation’s mission is to provide opportunity, access, and belonging for athletes with physical disabilities because it states that sport transforms lives. CAF empowers athletes with physical disabilities by providing funding for adaptive sports equipment, training, and community support, and it provides grants for adaptive equipment, gym access, and support for training and competition. CAF launched Operation Rebound for service members and veterans and also launched virtual programs that reached athletes in more than 50 countries.
CAF’s leadership and board include co-founders Bob Babbitt, Jeffrey Essakow, and Rick Kozlowski, along with board secretary Dean Roeper and members Clive Essakow, Danny Gabriel, Jeff Jacobs, and David Jochim. The leadership team includes Bob Babbitt as co-founder and CAF Ambassador, Kristine Entwistle as Chief Executive Director, Virginia Tinley as Chief Legacy Officer, Lorrie Hall as Chief Accounting Officer, Danielle Simmons as Chief Marketing Officer, Lauren Friedman as Chief People Officer, Patrick Lawrence as Chief Programs Officer, and Susan Butler as NorCal Senior Director of Development. Regional offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Boise, and New York support regional athletes, sponsors, fundraisers, and donors in their communities.
CAF programs include educational programs, donor appreciation evenings, media outreach, partner meetings, free adaptive classes, and community education events. Testimonials from participants describe CAF as creating space for athletes with physical disabilities to engage in sport and community, offering mentorship among athletes, and providing a sense of friends, family, and purpose. One testimonial states that Operation Rebound changed a participant’s life after significant weight loss and progress from using an automatic wheelchair to earning a Black Belt and opening a martial arts studio.
Last updated May 17, 2026.
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