Meet Achilles’ New Chapters Leads in Boston, Chicago, Houston and Washington D.C.
Achilles International recently welcomed new Chapter Leads in Boston, Chicago, Houston and Washington D.C. They manage their chapter’s operations, delivering high quality workouts to youth, adults and veterans with disabilities in their community. Meet Joe, Hannah, Kristen and Michaela and find out how they hope to make an impact in their cities below.
Boston
Joe LeMar joined Achilles in August as Chapter Lead of the Boston chapter. He was the TS2 400m run gold medalist at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain, as well as the T44 800m run bronze medalist at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. He is a multiple time world champion in various athletic sporting events, including with Team USA in Wheelchair Softball in 2016 and 2017.
“The thing I'm most excited about joining Team Achilles is working with the athletes and volunteers,” he says. “I'm a coach and I enjoy giving back to the athletes and seeing them improve and get better over time while enjoying working out. I feel I make an impact in the community by speaking up and raising awareness for athletes who have different abilities and showing sports are for everyone.” Joe’s motto is 6 C's to Succeed: Courage, Commitment, Character, Class, Confidence and Communication.
Achilles Boston meets Tuesdays, 6:00 PM and Saturdays, 9:00 AM at 276 Newbury Street.
Chicago
Kristen Cassarini joined Achilles in August as Chapter Lead of the Chicago chapter. As a lifelong athlete, Kristen played Division 1 softball while she attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. After sustaining an injury during her time spent in the Army, she earned her Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and discovered her passion for adaptive sports.
Kristen is very excited to have the opportunity to help make an impact on her community by working with likeminded people who value inclusivity, and have a passion for empowering others through sport. “Volunteering one's time is a wonderful way for anyone to make a positive impact in their community,” Kristen says. “I'm lucky enough that my work with Achilles includes facilitating matches between people with disabilities and volunteers. These athlete pairs not only make an impact on each other, but with everyone who interacts with them as well.”
Achilles Chicago meets Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM from June to November in various different locations.
Houston
Michaela Cueto joined Achilles in September as Chapter Lead of the Houston chapter. During her undergraduate years at the University of Houston, she volunteered with Sire, a therapeutic horseback riding non-profit organization for children with special needs. She also spent time volunteering with Adaptive Athletics, her university’s adaptive tennis program. Since being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a teenager, Michaela has had to face many setbacks in her own career as an athlete. These experiences have allowed her to grow tremendously, and have helped her to understand how all athletes can tackle barriers.
Michaela is excited to have the opportunity to connect with her athletes, and to be able to help create a supportive community where everyone is welcomed and accepted. Her main goal for Achilles Houston is to ensure that everything she does is always athlete focused. “Everything I do, I want it to be for the greater good for my athletes,” Michaela says. “I want athletes with disabilities to be so immersed in sports that it becomes the norm. The narrative on athletes being excluded from sports due to disability needs to change, and I hope to be able to play a small part in creating that change within this new role.”
Achilles Houston meets Saturdays at 9:00 AM at Stude Park.
Washington D.C.
Hannah McFadden joined Achilles in May as Chapter Lead of the Washington D.C. chapter. Born with a rare leg deformity, Hannah was able to find her passion for wheelchair racing and competed at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games for Track and Field. After receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Illinois, she returned back to her home state of Maryland. She is excited for the opportunity to recruit more athletes and guides in the DMV area to participate in Achilles programs.
“I am most excited about recruiting athletes from all types of different backgrounds,” says Hannah. “The best part of working for Achilles is being able to connect different parts of my community together.”
Achilles Washington D.C. meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM and Saturdays at 8:00 AM at Starbucks at 325 7th St. NW.
We are grateful to our chapter leaders around the world who empower athletes with disabilities to reach their goals. Find a chapter near you and get involved.
