{"id":59969,"date":"2025-11-02T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=59969"},"modified":"2025-11-02T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T22:30:00","slug":"dream-of-a-wheelchair-basketball-court-comes-true-for-charlie-whalen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=59969","title":{"rendered":"Dream of a wheelchair basketball court comes true for Charlie Whalen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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FALL RIVER:<\/strong> For 14-year-old Charlie Whalen, the bounce of a basketball now echoes across his own backyard \u2014 a sound that signals independence, joy, and the fulfillment of a dream years in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the support of the Shine Foundation, Charlie\u2019s Dream for an accessible wheelchair basketball court became a reality on Thursday afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all began in April when he was asked what his dream was by the Shine Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project, completed with help from Municipal Group and Eastern Fence, was officially unveiled during a special celebration at Charlie\u2019s new court as friends, family, and Shine staff surrounded him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie, an avid sports fan and passionate basketball player, said having his own court has already made a world of difference. He has cerebral palsy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really nice because it\u2019s easier for me to actually practice and get better,\u201d said the Lockview High student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore, as soon as I shot the ball, if I lost it, I had to go back inside. Now, I don\u2019t have to worry about that. It\u2019s just easier to get better at playing the game,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He said the dream began earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was in April,\u201d Charlie recalled with a smile. \u201cI\u2019ve been looking forward to it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked how it felt to finally see the finished court, his answer was simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s special. It makes me feel like I can really achieve good things in basketball \u2014 it\u2019s more accessible. It\u2019s like Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie\u2019s friends, he added, are just as thrilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re excited. They want to come play. They\u2019re like, \u2018When can we go?\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Charlie looks up at the basketball net preparing for a shot at it. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Charlie with some of the Municipal Group and Eastern Fence crews that helped to build the wheelchair basketball court. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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During the unveiling, Shine staff member Sophia Noguera spoke on behalf of the organization, commending Charlie\u2019s enthusiasm and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday is the official opening of your court, your Shine dream come true and the start of an amazing future in wheelchair basketball,\u201d she said. \u201cYour dream gives you a space to practice, have fun, and show off your skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday is all about you and what\u2019s possible when we dream big. It\u2019s game time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shine Foundation, which grants wishes to children and youth living with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening conditions, coordinated with contractors and suppliers to bring Charlie\u2019s idea to life, including a custom basketball from Baden Sports to mark the occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anneka Siege and Charlie playing some wheelchair basketball on the new court. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Charlie\u2019s father, Dustin, said when Shine first asked his son what his dream would be, he was surprised by the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018What\u2019s your dream?\u2019 and he said, \u2018Basketball court,\u2019\u201d Dustin said with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought they\u2019d say, you know, something more realistic. But they said okay, leave it with us. And here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Anneka Siege goes in for a shot as Charlie and his dad look on waiting for the rebound. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, the family\u2019s backyard has become a hub of activity \u2014 a place where Charlie and his friends can play, laugh, and shoot hoops in a space designed just for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you to Shine and all the people that helped out,\u201d Charlie added, his gratitude as clear as the smile on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FALL RIVER: For 14-year-old Charlie Whalen, the bounce of a basketball now echoes across his own backyard \u2014 a sound that signals independence, joy, and the fulfillment of a dream years in the making. Through the support of the Shine Foundation, Charlie\u2019s Dream for an accessible wheelchair basketball court became a reality on Thursday afternoon. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59970,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[9621,8487,9622,2,50,5,9623,9624,9625],"class_list":["post-59969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-charlie-whalen","tag-dexters","tag-eastern-fence","tag-fall-river","tag-halifax","tag-lockview-high","tag-municipal-group","tag-shine-foundation","tag-wheelchair-basketball-court"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}