Nonprofit aims to help disabled youth
A Troy man says that locals will plant the seed money for a nonprofit that he hopes to grow into a multi-million dollar recreational area for the nation’s disabled children.
Darrell Eby is not afraid of dreaming big when considering the potential of his nonprofit Handicapped Challenge Inc.
“Down the road,” Eby said, “the public gets to say, see the Handicapped Challenge? We’re the ones that got them going.”
A kick-off fundraiser is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Troy’s Home Bar and VFW Hall. It will include a pool tournament, karaoke and a spaghetti feed, along with crafts for sale, a raffle and an auction.
Eby hopes that in as soon as three years, with the help of local fundraisers and national corporate sponsors, Handicapped Challenge will become a vacation spot in Missoula for handicapped children and their families.
Though he would have preferred the location to be near Libby or Troy, he said, the area does not have a big enough airport or enough medical professionals to service the project.
Eby envisions a large wilderness area that offers a hot springs pool, fishing, ATV riding, snowmobiling, horseback riding and camping – complete with onsite medical staff and accommodations for an array of disabilities.
“It’s going to be like a playground for disabled children,” Eby said. “We are planning on having it for a three-night stay for them and their families. It will be their getaway.”
Eby’s knowledge and compassion for disabled children began when his 3-year-old son Jeremy fell ill and became disabled over 20 years ago. Jeremy is a paraplegic, partially blind and has mental disabilities.
Eby was inspired by how happy the outdoors made his son.
“In 1995 we got this camping spot for Jeremy,” Eby said. “He got to run the ATV and swim in the river. He splashed and had a great time.”
Eby began putting his ideas into action when his project received nonprofit status in 2005. He formed a board of volunteers and solicited advice from business entrepreneurs.
It was a complex process, considering liability issues and the project’s immense cost, and Eby, who admits that he’s not trained in business, put the project on hold.
“I had the wrong approach that first run,” said Eby. “It’s been a learning experience for me and now I’m ready to put it into action.”
Handicapped Challenge will not only offer disabled children a chance to enjoy the outdoors, Eby said, but it will allow them to realize that they are not alone in their struggles.
“When my son went down, I felt like I was the only one with a disabled child,” Eby said. “But I met all these other people and realized that I wasn’t the only one.