Finnegan’s Challenge, by Dr. Kim Hale
 
One in 33 babies born in the United States is born with a birth defect. This is a meaningful statistic to Dr. Richard Sander, director for the Center for Global Sport Leadership and former athletic director at ETSU. Dr. Sander’s grandson was born with a birth defect and his family has the unique experiences of managing life with a child with a birth defect. Dr. Sander has established a non-profit organization, For Our Kids, with the goal of building sustainable resources to help families facing the challenges associated with having a child with a birth defect. Dr. Sander is raising awareness and money for families of children born with a birth defect using his basketball skills. On November 4, 2021, Dr. Sander kicked off a fundraising campaign, Finnegan’s challenge, in honor of his grandson, Finn. He made 3,956 free throws at Brooks Gym on the ETSU campus in 24-hours! He has issued challenges to college and professional sports communities to pledge their support of Finnegan’s Challenge through donations and awareness. Since November, Dr. Sander has continued to raise awareness of birth defects and the need to build sustainable resources for families facing the stressors associated with birth defects by vowing to make 33,000 free throws by Finn’s 8th birthday on June 15, 2022. Dr. Sander’s progress can be followed on www.fc3656.org, Finnegan’s Challenge on Facebook, on Instagram @finneganschallenge, and on Twitter @FinnsChallenge.

Members of the SBI are working closely with For Our Kids to investigate the experiences of parents with a child with a birth defect including the unique challenges they have faced, avenues of coping in the midst of navigating the associated stressors, and identify factors that contribute to building a family’s resilience. SBI member, Kimberly Hale, is leading efforts to engage with families about their experiences and the impact of birth defects on their day-to-day life and relationships. This descriptive qualitative study aims to investigate how having a child with a birth defects affects the quality of life of the entire family, identify the strengths and coping skills families have utilized to mitigate stress, and the pinpoint the supports and resources families would like to access.