Sporting Wheelies is urging Australians to donate to its 2025 Christmas Appeal, directly supporting the expansion of Raising the Bar: an in-school program led by people with disability known as ‘Game Changers’ who share their personal experiences, teach inclusive language, and demonstrate adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball.

Sporting Wheelies is a leading provider of opportunities for people with disability seeking to get involved in sports, recreation and rehabilitation therapy.

Among those Game Changers is Brisbane local Jacob Lake, who lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and has broken more than 100 bones throughout his life.

Since joining Sporting Wheelies as a Game Changer in 2023, Jacob says the program has reshaped how students view disability and strengthened his own sense of purpose.

“Kids often look at a wheelchair and assume it means a miserable or limited life,” Lake says.

“I love being able to show them how fun, normal, and active life in a wheelchair can be.

“Within minutes their whole perspective changes, and that’s something they’ll carry with them forever.”

Lake first connected with Sporting Wheelies after struggling to find work despite months of searching.

When he learned the organisation was looking for Game Changers he applied, hoping simply for an opportunity. Instead, he found much more – a community and a career he genuinely loves.

“At first, it was just about getting a job,” Lake says.

“But now I can confidently say this is the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done.

“I get to teach, have fun, play wheelchair basketball with the kids, and spread the message that nothing is impossible.”

Brisbane’s Jacob Lake, pictured above, says his favourite part of the Game Changer program is “being able to show and tell kids how fun being in a wheelchair can be, and that just because we have a disability, we are not all that different from them”. PHOTO: YouTube

Sporting Wheelies chief operating officer, Dane Cross, says Christmas is an important reminder of the need for inclusive communities.

“During the festive season, we talk a lot about generosity and looking out for one another,” Cross says.

“Supporting Raising the Bar is a way for Australians to extend that spirit to the next generation. When children learn from people like Jacob, it creates lasting change, not just for Christmas, but for life.”

Cross says the need for disability education has never been greater.

“People with disability still face assumptions that limit their opportunities.

“Programs like Raising the Bar give young people the tools to understand disability with empathy rather than fear or pity.

“It’s transformative, and every donation helps us bring this program to more classrooms.”

Lake, who now plays wheelchair basketball and attends the gym regularly, says he wants students to see disability for what it is – just one part of a person’s life.

“A lot of people think disability stops us from doing what we love, but that’s not true,” he says.

“We don’t need pity. We just want the same chance as anyone else to be included. When kids understand that the world becomes a much more welcoming place.”

As a not-for-profit, Sporting Wheelies relies heavily on community generosity to deliver and grow programs like Raising the Bar.

Every contribution supports disability awareness education, adaptive sport demonstrations, school visits, and training for Game Changers across Queensland.

To donate or learn more about the Christmas Appeal, click here.