“For the third year in a row, Ball Park has pledged funds to the Athlete Recovery Fund, a non-profit organization that offers financial support for rehabilitation and long-term care for those athletes in BMX, FMX and skateboarding who are left without support following an injury. Together, with the Athlete Recovery Fund, Ball Park has created a promotional video that highlights the plight of the injured action sports athlete, and the efforts the Athlete Recovery Fund has undertaken to aid injured athletes.
For each person who watches the video, Ball Park will donate $1 dollar to ARF (up to $100,000). The video features the likes of Mike ‘Hucker’ Clark, Gary Young, Chase Hawk and Mat Hoffman, whom have all been injured while riding and forced to deal with the rising costs of medical bills.
Created by Aaron Cooke, brother of BMX pro Allan Cooke and a former motocross rider himself, the Athlete Recovery Fund was founded following the career-ending injury of BMX dirt jumper Stephen Murray in 2007. Murray was paralyzed from the shoulders down, and Cooke was forced to realize that there was no program in place to provide assistance to injured action sports athletes, who are often unable to obtain health insurance.
Through Cooke’s efforts, the Athlete Recovery Fund was able to provide Murray with much-needed long term assistance, such as a modified sprinter van with wheelchair access. Murray remains a spokesperson for the Athlete Recovery Fund, and continues to work closely with Cooke. And in the four years since the creation of the Athlete Recovery Fund, the charity has also provided aid to countless professionals in BMX, FMX and skateboarding.
For more information on ARF, please visit http://www.athleterecoveryfund.com” – ESPN
