MUSKEGON, Mich. — A local group that helps special needs athletes will now have an impressive new facility to house their wholesome mission.
On Sunday, No More Sidelines launched the Andy Blair Sports Complex, a 52,000 square foot facility that will give the almost 20-year-old organization a permanent home to use and share with the surrounding community.
NMS was founded by Andy and Cyndi Blair in 2005 to help their daughter Alivia, who has cerebral palsy and autism, make friends. At the time, there was no nearby programming for people with cognitive and physical differences, and NMS was borne out of a desire to see everyone participate in the activities they may otherwise not have had an opportunity to be a part of.
“In most cases they’re looking for a friend, they’re looking for the same opportunities everybody else has in our community,” said Cyndi Blair with Alivia standing beside her. “Sports creates a team and a team creates belonging.”
The first year NMS launched in 2005, they started with just seven kids – most of them Alivia’s friends from school. By the end of their first year, they had 45 participants; 240 by the end of their third year and they continue to grow now.
“And it didn’t take too long to go, we need a home,” said Cyndi.
The large Muskegon building used to belong to a tank manufacturer, so there’s plenty of room to house all NMS’ needs. The facility boasts two volleyball courts, a full-size basketball court, a soccer pitch, walkaround track, workout room, mezzanine viewing, and concession stands. It also hosts a banquet facility, community room, conference room, commercial kitchen, and commercial laundry room to aid in teaching athletes some basic vocational skills.
For program participants and their parents, it’s become an invaluable resource.
“It’s just been amazing what this has turned into,” said Mark Lewis, whose son Luke has been participating in NMS since the very beginning. “He has learned all kinds of skills – communications skills, social skills – that have helped him all the way into his adulthood, and it’s just been an amazing journey for us.”
Mark says the transformation of the building from a “very big, dark warehouse kind of a place” into a sparkling new sports complex has mirrored the change he’s seen in his son from a shy individual to someone with a caring group of friends and new skills. For Cyndi, whose husband Andy passed away before the completion of the complex that bears his name, the opening is an emotional occasion.
“For me, it’s a dream come true,” she said, fighting tears. “A place that our community, hopefully, wants to use and has every opportunity to do so.”
To learn more about No More Sidelines, and to volunteer, click here.
