Third grade student Ayman Mozeb visits with first grader Shane McKinney.

When third grader Ayman Mozeb told teacher Molly Rutledge that he wanted to play at recess, she wasn’t sure how that could be accommodated.

The Leeds Elementary School student deals with cerebral palsy, a motor disorder that affects body movement and requires him to use a wheelchair.  

“I didn’t know how or what he could do,” Rutledge said.  “So I asked around and got the number for the Lakeshore Foundation, which put me in touch with Bryan Kirkland.”

Kirkland, a Leeds resident, is a two-time Paralympic medalist and member of the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team.  “We talked about him coming to the school to talk to Ayman, my third grade class, and it just got bigger and bigger until it ended up being an event for the entire third and fourth grades,” Rutledge said.

The youngsters enjoyed watching five teachers and administrators compete in a wheelchair basketball game against Kirkland and two other Paralympic athletes.  “It was very hard,” Rutledge said two days later.  “I’m still sore from doing it.”

The Lakeshore representatives explained to the students how individuals with physical disabilities could participate in such sports and activities as swimming, tennis, ice hockey, rugby and track and field.  The foundation’s campus in Birmingham offers fitness and wellness training and has served as a training facility for the U.S. Paralympic team.

After the basketball game, Ayman outpaced the three athletes in a chair race.

“He was beaming, and he’s been on cloud nine ever since,” Rutledge said.  “To see that smile on his face and hear him say, ‘My dreams are coming true,’ I lost it.  It was so touching.”