Rotary Club of Colombo West organises DreamCricket Day for Sri Lanka’s differently-abled primary sch

Rotary Club of Colombo West (RCCW) announced that it is organising a full-day DreamCricket session for 100 differently-able primary school children from Sri Lanka. The event will be held on Sunday 2 December 2012 at NCC.

On DreamCricket Day, 100 Sri Lankan differently-able primary school students will be introduced to the game of cricket at a proper playground (NCC), in a welcoming social setting.   The children will be exposed to a series of activities aimed at improving their cricket skills like catching, throwing, running and batting.

Having intellectual and physical disabilities (eg. sight-impairment) that prevent them from taking part in normal sports, the participants will end the day with a game of ‘Run-Out Cricket’. Guests at the event will include current and former Sri Lankan cricketers, sports officials, Rotarians, Rotaractors, and the general public.

Commenting on this trendsetting event, RCCW President Rotarian Sebastian Karunakaran stated: “The Rotary Club of Colombo West takes great pride in organising this event. I must state emphatically that we need the support of the entire community to make this event a success. While thanking NCC for generously offering their grounds on an honorary basis, I am confident that other like-minded organisations will step up to support not only a worthy cause, but one which can set the trend to provide marginalised youngsters to engage in and benefit from a world-class sport like Cricket.”

Cricket Ambassador of the Bradman Foundation Rick McCarthy explained: “Children taking part in DreamCricket will be provided with a kit from Cricket Australia and guided through a series of activities arranged by the Bradman Foundation.”

Treasurer of the Movement Disorder Foundation Brendan McNally added, “We are delighted to partner the DreamCricket International Committee and be the main sponsors of this program.”

DreamCricket in Sri Lanka Organising Committee Chairman Rotarian Roshan Lyman said: “Rotary Club of Colombo West firmly believes, as did Sir Donald Bradman, that the game of cricket can be a powerful character-builder and we are certain that the first DreamCricket Day in Sri Lanka would be a great opportunity for differently-able children to participate in sports and build their self-esteem. This will be a game-changing event for Sri Lanka’s young differently-able community.”

The Bradman Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust which was established in 1987 with the full support of Australian cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman to promote cricket as a valuable cultural sporting force within the community.

MDF is committed to ‘free’ the untapped potential of the differently-able. The Foundation strives to help develop new treatments to improve the quality of life for those persons who are imprisoned by mobility problems. The Foundation also directly supports those patients who have mobility problems.

DreamCricket was conceived by Doctor Ronald Bigg, after witnessing firsthand the positive transformation of differently-able children who participated in American Miracle League Baseball. Not finding a similar movement in Australia, Bigg, in association with the Movement Disorder Foundation, Rotary Club of Southern Highlands, and the Bradman Foundation, created DreamCricket for differently-able children.

DreamCricket activities include table cricket, batting drills, target throwing, and bowl-offs: activities of varying difficulty that ensure a wide range of differently-able children can benefit and grow from the experience.

The objective of Dream Cricket Day is to maximise the quality of the sporting experience for differently-able primary school students. DreamCricket provides a model for schools and communities to follow by arranging similar activities in their own areas and thereby raising the standard of citizenship and behaviour through education, exposure, discipline and enjoyment.

The Rotary Club of Colombo West is the second largest club in Rotary District 3220. The club was chartered in 1961 and pioneered many important projects for the community at large ranging from providing hydro electricity and homes to holding eye camps, and from demining efforts to donation of wheel chairs, computers, and solar lighting.  The club’s membership boasts several illustrious members including two past District Governors of Rotary District 3220.