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The NRG program is open to children with or without a physical disability and provides children enrolled in the program with a sport wheelchair for the entire season. According to the SWSA, prior to the program’s start in 2006, there were no other recreational activities or teams that a young person with a physical disability could join.

The program’s head coach, Joelle Buckle, was informing families about the theft and the potential delay on Tuesday and she said being able to participate in a sport like wheelchair basketball “means everything to them.”

Using a wheelchair herself after she was in a car accident when she was 4-years-old, Buckle said as a student in rural Saskatchewan, she didn’t have many opportunities to participate in sports until she was in Grade 8. After her introduction, however, she hasn’t looked back, saying she understands that sport is a chance for youngsters to build self-confidence and to socialize.

“It just means a lot to them and when they don’t have that opportunity, it’s devastating,” she said. “It’s just devastating.”

The program, while delayed, is not cancelled with Buckle noting officials from the SWSA will be reaching out to parents and families with more information as many of the wheelchairs will have to be re-sized.

“We’re doing everything we can to get the wheelchairs replaced and we will be starting as soon we get the equipment,” she said.