Hello MWABA,

Join us for Hiking, Goalball, and Tandem Biking, and spread the word about our Giving Tuesday campaign!

Hiking

· Join us for our December hike to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maryland on December 7th. We’ll meet at the Medical Center metro at 8 a.m. Sign up here by Wednesday night: Kevin.Andrews94 if you can drive.

Goalball

· Come to Goalball on December 6th from 10 AM to 1 PM at 1480 Girard St. NW, DC.

Tandem Biking

· Sign up for our December 13th tandem ride, which will meet in Bethesda at 3:30 p.m., and we’ll bike to the Mormon Temple Festival of Lights. https://forms.gle/qR8Gxh4kCdhvUpak9

Giving Tuesday Fundraising Campaign

Thank you for being part of the Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes community and for all the ways you’ve supported inclusion, health, and connection this year. We have a unique opportunity to amplify our impact. A generous donor has pledged $1,000 in matching funds for our current campaign. This means that every dollar you contribute will be doubled. These funds are vital for sustaining and expanding MWABA’s programs, from purchasing adaptive sports equipment to organizing events. Donate at Donate – Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes to support us! MWABA grew and thrived in 2025. Blind and low-vision adults and youth in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia challenged themselves and built community by playing goalball and beep kickball, tandem biking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and doing yoga. We also deepened our partnerships, which expanded our programming and helped us educate the broader community about blind sports!

Here are some highlights:

· The men’s goalball team won silver at Nationals! We expanded our youth programming by hosting a goalball series culminating in a youth goalball tournament, and a White Cane Day family goalball event. We did goalball and beep kickball demonstrations at Sidwell Friends School and Tyndale Christian School.

· We went on our third annual tandem bike camping trip (check out this article: Photographer’s Notebook: Biking and camping with blind athletes | WAMU) and our first car camping/hiking trip in Shenandoah National Park! The Foreseeable Future Foundation sponsored our bike maintenance series and bike camping trip.

· We joined Birdability and the DC Bird Alliance for the first annual blind bird-a-thon (check out this article: Blind birders listen, search for birds at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton – The Washington Post) Mason Neck State Park hosted us for a sensory walk, and April Thompson led an edible plants and mushroom walk in Rock Creek Park. We also hiked in Great Falls, Roosevelt Island, Catoctin with Achilles International, and Rock Creek Park.

· We expanded our weekly tandem rides to now be both Thursday and Friday nights. Over 80 cyclists joined us for 72 rides, averaging four tandems per ride. We spoke at the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit and Bikepacking Roots’ Northeast Bikepacking Summit. Nine tandem pairs did the Great Pumpkin and Cider Rides! DC Bike Ride gave us free registrations, and seven tandem pairs enjoyed 20 miles of car-free streets and starting at the front of the ride! DC Bike Party featured us in their September ride and helped us raise money for new helmets and lights.

Donate at mwaba.inc. Thank you for believing in MWABA’s mission and helping make blind and low-vision sports thrive across the Washington region!