SportsAbility Expo 2026—Central Florida!

Yes, you read that correctly. We are bringing the excitement of SportsAbility to Central Florida! Although details are still being worked out, we have partnered with Visit Central Florida to hold the Central Florida SportsAbility Expo in Polk County September 11-12, 2026. Saturday September 12 will be the outdoor day at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, with many of the same accessible and adaptive activities we offer in Tallahassee. These include Sit Waterski, Horseback Riding, Boat Rides, Biking, Archery, Climbing Wall, Lawn Games, EcoRover Trail Rides, and much more.
This event is free and open to the public! All ages and all abilities are invited. Registration will open in mid-to-late July. For more information visit the SportsAbility Expo—Central Florida Page on the SportsAbility website.

Thank you to our partners and sponsors listed below. If you are interested in learning more about sponsorships, [email protected].

SportsAbility 2026: A Fun-filled Event

Speaking of SportsAbility Expo, this year’s Tallahassee SportsAbility was a wonderful success! More than 800 people attended the 2-day event which kicked off on Friday, April 17 with indoor activities and an informational resource expo. Students from area schools joined in the fun and enjoyed sit volleyball, tennis, archery, beanbag toss, fitness equipment, and a number of other activities. Approximately 15 exhibitors and activity providers from state and local agencies, non-profits, service providers, and community advocates provided information and demonstrations.

The SportsAbility Alliance also presented two awards at the Expo. The Volunteer of the Year Award, given to a person or organization that has been an invaluable volunteer to SportsAbility Alliance, was presented to the Kiwanis Clubs of the Big Bend. Kiwanis has been a long-time supporter of SportsAbility Alliance, raising money to help build Miracle Field, and providing snacks and encouragement each week to the Miracle Sports athletes who come out on Thursday evenings to play baseball, kickball and tennis. They also assist and support the SportsAbility Expo by cooking hotdogs for attendees each year. We are excited to have them as our 2026 Volunteer of the Year!

The Active Leisure for Life Award, given to an individual or organization that embodies the SportsAbility Alliance mission “to enrich lives through accessible, inclusive recreation and active leisure,” was presented to Ann’s Angels! Ann Angels participated in our very first SportsAbility event 36 years ago and has continued to be a strong partner with us as we have grown. We deeply appreciate their continued support and participation!

On Saturday, April 18, we gathered at Maclay Gardens State Park for outdoor fun! It was a beautiful day for all the participants, volunteers, activity providers, family, friends, and
caregivers who attended. Attendees could take part in an array of outdoor activities including sit waterski, boat rides, climbing wall, EcoRover trail adventures, horseback riding, accessible bikes, nature tours, and lawn games. There was something for everyone regardless of individual interests, age, and abilities.

A BIG THANK YOU to all our sponsors, activity providers, volunteers, and community partners. We could not have done this without you! Please visit the SportsAbility Page on our website for a list of sponsors, partners, activity providers, and exhibitors.

Family Cafe – June 12-14, 2026

The SportsAbility Alliance participated with our partners once again at the Family Café

conference June 12-14, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. This conference is so much fun and if you haven’t attended in the past, we hope you will be able to do so in the future.

The SportsAbility Activity Sampler Area in the Family Café Expo Hall was a busy, busy place!

Hundreds of people visited the area and enjoyed a variety of hands-on activities, including tennis, SCUBA, archery, and axe -throwing. Resource providers shared information on adaptive water-skiing, EcoRovers, accessible equipment and mobility options. This year we were honored that Miss Wheelchair Florida joined us and visited with attendees at the Removing the Barriers booth! In addition to the samplers and resources, GatorLand held their very popular live animal demonstrations and had alligators and snakes for attendees to touch and hold. We presented a session at Family Café on “Exploring New Technologies, Building Partnerships and Removing Barriers: Creating Opportunities for Recreation for People of ALL Abilities.” We wrapped up our fun at Family Café with the SportsAbility Duck Race! Thank you to everyone who purchased ducks (we sold all 500 ducks!) and supplied prizes in support of our programs. A big thank you to the Youth Council volunteers who helped in the pool!

Miracle Sports Tennis and Pickleball

We are very excited to announce that the July Miracle Sports activity will include both Tennis AND Pickleball! Held indoors, this Tennis and Pickleball event offer participants a fun way to beat the summer rain and heat.

Dates: Thursdays – July 9, 2026 to July 30, 2025

Times: Youth 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm / Adults 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Location: Holy Comforter Episcopal School, 2001 Fleischmann Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308

Virtual Workout

We continue to partner with the Spirt Club to offer Fitness Friday workouts at 11:00 am Eastern Time. Check it out on the SportsAbility Alliance Facebook page. Don’t worry if you miss one—the workout is available all week on-demand.

Stay Well and Stay Active! 

Fran Gilbert
Executive Director, SportsAbility Alliance

It’s Summertime!

No doubt about it - you can tell by looking at the calendar or simply stepping outside and checking the thermometer. Long, lazy summer days like those of years gone by would certainly be welcome. But as I get older, time seems to fly by faster than ever.

June marks the midpoint of the year, at least if you start counting on January 1. For many people, the end-of-year reports are finished, new projects are underway, and things begin to settle into a routine. That's not exactly how it works around here.

Some of our grants and programs follow the calendar year, but many run from July through June, bringing reporting deadlines and renewal applications during the summer months. Others begin in October and continue through September. Add in our ongoing grants and contracts, each with their own reporting schedules, and there really isn't much idle time for us during the summer.

As soon as our annual SportsAbility Expo in Tallahassee is behind us, we're already preparing for our SportsAbility Sampler with The Family Cafe in mid-June. From there, we head to Jacksonville for another SportsAbility Sampler in July, working alongside our outstanding partners who provide so many of the activities that make these events successful.

This year, we're especially excited to expand with a brand-new SportsAbility Expo in Auburndale, Florida, on September 11–12 in partnership with Visit Central Florida. A new location means new participants, new activities, new partnerships, and, of course, plenty of logistics to work through.

Then, before we have much time to catch our breath, we host our annual Hands Helping Anglers event the very next weekend in the Tallahassee area. It takes a tremendous amount of planning to coordinate the boats, captains, volunteers, and participants who come together for a memorable day of fishing and boating on the Gulf.

Throughout July, we continue our Miracle Sports Tennis and Pickleball programs, while our ALLOUT EcoRover Adventure program keeps people enjoying Florida's outdoors with events that have been taking place since January and continue throughout the summer. Once summer and fall are behind us, hunting season begins, and we are back on the road supporting ALLOUT EcoRover hunts and outdoor adventures at locations across the state.

It's no wonder the days seem shorter every year.

None of these programs would be possible without the hard work and dedication of our small but incredible SportsAbility Alliance team. Just as importantly, none of them would happen without our amazing partners and volunteers who believe in our mission and generously give their time, talents, and support.

Together, we help people help people, and we are truly blessed to have the opportunity to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, along with their families and friends.

ACTIVE LEISURE for LIFE! 

David Jones
Founder, SportsAbility Alliance