Suggestions
Brian Raney
Generate philanthropic support to empower Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and well-being; Below-the-knee amputee
Brian Raney joined the US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation as Director of Major Gifts for the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest in July 2023.1 In this role, he is responsible for securing major gifts to support Team USA athletes. His position focuses on fundraising efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area and Pacific Northwest regions, which are likely key areas for potential donors and supporters of the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
Highlights
Meet Dakota Nesbitt, who was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. Dakota has weakness and paralysis in spots throughout her legs, and sometimes uses a wheelchair when traveling long distances.
Dakota was introduced to #parasports at age 6. Now a 9-year-old, she became a national champion in wheelchair track racing at the 2023 Hartford Junior Para Nationals - where she won five titles in the Under-11 T54 Classification.
She now has a goal of being a #Paralympian.
Thanks to a Facebook group for people planning to go to Olympic & Paralympic Games, I got connected with Dakota’s mom Amanda and had the pleasure of meeting Amanda and Dakota at a Para Swimming event two nights ago (oh, Dakota also qualified for the 25-meter breaststroke at the 2023 Junior Para Nationals in the S10 category). Amanda showed me a picture of Dakota with Paralympian and USA Wheelchair Rugby star Chuck Aoki from the night before (following a hard-fought loss to Japan). Chuck is one of Dakota’s favorite athletes (she also loves Sarah Adam!) and someone she looks up to.
The power of sport and the Paralympics is evident here at #Paris2024. And it’s pretty freaking cool. You know what else is cool? The USA Wheelchair Rugby team defeated Great Britain tonight and advanced to the Gold Medal match to take on Japan tomorrow (Monday)!
I am super proud to be part of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, the fundraising arm of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. This experience has been incredible, and there is still plenty of competition coming up.
Tune in to the Paralympics and cheer on #TeamUSA!
#paraathlete #parasport #Paralympics
Paralympian and USA Wheelchair Rugby team member Jeff Butler has a special message for #TeamUSA fans & supporters back home following a great team win over Germany!
#Paris2024 #Paralympics #wheelchairrugby #wheelchair #athlete #parasport #Paralympian
