Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary presents 20th annual Wheelchair Meet June 4 at Shehan Center

BRIDGEPORT, CT (May 19, 2017) – Wheelchair-dependent children 18 and under are invited to take part in a day of fun at the Cardinal Shehan Center, 1494 Main Street, Bridgeport, 1 - 4 pm Sunday, June 4, when the Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary presents its 20th annual Wheelchair Meet, sponsored by Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, PC, of Bridgeport.

“This is an opportunity for children in wheelchairs to have fun together, get some exercise and interact with our staff,” says Suzanne Starr, the Ahlbin Rehabilitation Centers physical therapist who launched the meet in 1997 with the financial support of the Bridgeport Hospital Auxiliary.

The Wheelchair Meet consists of several events, including an obstacle course, ball-throwing contest and distance races from 25 to 800 meters. Children participate in a number of categories, based on age, gender and skill level. The entry fee of $5 includes a T-shirt. Proceeds support Ahlbin Centers programs. For information or to register, call 203-637-7836. Volunteers are also being sought to help with the event.

Each year, the meet draws approximately 50 children with conditions ranging from cerebral palsy to severe arthritis and traumatic brain injury, according to Starr.

The rehabilitation medicine arm of Bridgeport Hospital, Ahlbin Centers also provides outpatient services in Bridgeport, Shelton, Southport, Stratford and Trumbull, including physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as childhood early intervention and geriatric rehabilitation programs.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org