A Spokane non-profit organization that works with athletes with disabilities is looking for a new home.
ParaSport Spokane is losing its lease for the Spokane Valley facility in which it has operated for the last seven years.
ParaSport co-founder David Greig says Valley Christian School has told ParaSport it won’t renew the organization’s lease because it needs the space.
Greig says ParaSport has been actively searching for a new home since February without success. He says the group a few specific needs.
“A middle school-sized basketball court for our wheelchair basketball programs. That’s kind of a standard size, plus it works better with all of the wheelchairs that we’re going to have. Ideally we would like to have some storage space adjacent to that facility because trailering around 30 to 50 wheelchairs is a bit of a lift," he said.
Greig says they’re also looking for office space.
ParaSport Spokane trains and supports athletes who are among the best disabled athletes in the world.
“We do have an international reputation in athletes that are performing highly, but we had more than 280 days of programming last year on an ongoing basis. We’re one of the largest programs in the region, doing multi-sport and ongoing sport training opportunities," Greig said.
Some ParaSport athletes will participate in tournaments this summer, looking to earn the right to go to the Paralympic Games in Paris in August and September. ParaSport also offers programs for people with disabilities who just want to play sports for fun. He says the demand for recreational sports opportunities has increased dramatically the last 4-5 years.
“We just want to keep servicing this need and we’ve got youth as young as 2 and members as old as in their 70s that are coming to participate," he said.
Greig says ParaSport Spokane hopes to find a new home by July before the organization's lease ends in August.
