Trails Without Limits program could expand to more parks in Westchester
The Westchester Parks Foundation's Trails Without Limits program should start back up around March 19, pending weather, and run through November. The Parks Foundation said it recently received a $25,000 donation from Veolia North America, an environmental resource company.
The Parks Foundation said the money from Veolia will be used to sustain the program in 2024 with the goal of expanding the program to more parks in the county.
Trails Without Limits, which launched last March, allows people living with mobility issues like cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries or paraplegia rent specially designed All-terrain Trackchairs so that they can experience Westchester County's parks and trails.
“Since we launched the Trails Without Limits program last Spring, the demand to use the chairs by community members has been inspiring," the foundation's executive director Joe Stout said. "We are thrilled that Veolia North America is joining us to help sustain the program and continue to bring our mission to life of making the parks accessible to all."
Anyone can sign up for a free 90-minute session with the chairs, which navigate dirt trails, mud, sand and grass. The Parks Foundation says the program rotates throughout various county parks from Spring through late Fall.
Pleasantville resident Kevin Lange is living with quadriplegia. He was one of the first people to use the trackchairs back in March.
He said, "The program helps me get out and back into the environment I used to run and mountain bike in, under my own control, that my power wheelchair can't reach."
Rome Leykin, of Stamford, Conn., said "It's a huge amount of freedom to be in the great outdoors again. Especially for me, sometimes I can't always wear my prosthetics, so I can't always walk. But I do always want to be outside and this means that I can get out there whenever I want."
For more information on the program visit: https://www.thewpf.org/trailswithoutlimits
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Trails Without Limits could expand to more Westchester parks
