NJ youth athletes with disabilities will get an assist from surprise grants

Toyota and the Challenged Athletes Foundation will be presenting surprise grants to five young athletes with disabilities at the Toyota Sports Festival held at the New York Auto Show on April 15.

The grants, which aim to provide life-changing adaptive sports equipment and training expenses, will be presented by Steve Serio, a Team USA Wheelchair basketball two-time gold medalist.

The New Jersey winners are Mikhail “MJ” Catuncan, 12, of Union, who was diagnosed at birth with achondroplasia — the most common form of dwarfism — and Lodi’s Melanie Mejia, 13, who has Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Catuncan, “a true competitor” who participates in many sports, will receive $2,500 to cover competition and training expenses.

Mejia will also receive $2,500 to cover competition and training expenses. She competes in track and field, swimming and archery, according to an announcement of the event.

New York winners are Adan Persad, 15, of Manhattan, who will receive a custom basketball wheelchair. Born with spina bifida, Persad has found a passion for wheelchair basketball. Judah Scarbrough of the Bronx and Angel Urmeneta of Central Islip will receive basketball wheelchairs.

Onlookers will have a chance to learn about adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball, hand cycling, sled hockey, and skateboarding at the festival.

Related: Disabled community holds ceremony to protest inequities. Here are their vows

The Challenged Athletes Foundation was established to help people with disabilities around the world lead active, healthy lifestyles. It has raised more than $147 million and satisfied over 40,000 funding requests from people in all 50 states and over 70 countries since its start in 1994.

The presentations will take place at 1 p.m. at the Toyota LIVE Stage at the New York Auto Show at 429 11th Ave. New York.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ athletes with disabilities get grants from Toyota