Challenged Athletes of West Virginia (CAWV), a non-profit 501(c)3, has been providing adaptive sports opportunities to children and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities since 1996. Our mission is to enrich the quality of life for individuals with disabilities through outdoor sports and recreation. From humble beginnings, we have grown to become a leader in the Mid-Atlantic Region. For 25+ years, CAWV has primarily provided equipment and instruction for adaptive alpine skiing and snowboarding as well as education and training opportunities for professional and volunteer staff.
In addition to our winter sports program, we are focused on expanding our summer/fall programming and are now offering adaptive mountain bike programming. We have developed a comprehensive mountain bike program to mimic our snow sports program. It is and will continue to be very much a work in progress. However, we are excited to serve as many people as possible providing different adaptations along the way. Our most recent project revolves around the Cimgo, and all-terrain wheelchair/bike that is “pilot” driven, therefore, allowing us to serve a wide range of people even with more severe disabilities. Our program is the first in the USA to have this equipment and is designed to tackle the steepest, most technical trails in Snowshoe's bike park!
CAWV headquarters are located atop Cheat Mountain, at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, in the beautiful Allegheny Highlands of Pocahontas County, West Virginia. We also have an office/program location at Canaan Valley Resort in Tucker County, WV. (Both locations are less than a day’s travel from the major population centers of the Mid-Atlantic.)
Our participants range in age from 4 years old to senior citizens; some have been living with their challenges since birth; others are accident survivors or dealing with the onset of disease later in life. They all come facing challenge and uncertainty and leave knowing, “If I can do this, I can do anything.”
Our volunteer and professional staff come from diverse backgrounds that include physical and occupational therapists, recreation therapists, teachers, nurses, and many other professions. The common thread among this group is that they realize their intentions to serve result in unimaginable self-fulfillment. They genuinely love the opportunity to touch the lives of our students and their families.
CAWV is supported by grants, endowments, fund raising activities, and private donations. The expense of our program activities is considerable, constantly growing, and a daunting challenge that we must consistently rise to. Our commitment to offer our services at reasonable rates to families who face their own challenges each day is unwavering and will always be the cornerstone of what we do and who we are.
