By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau
WALTON _ Anthony Netto stood in his wheelchair, swung his golf club and sent plastic golf balls flying at Northeastern Fabricators in Walton on Friday.
Netto, a paraplegic golf pro, has joined forces with Vets-Help.org to promote the "Stand Up and Play Challenge," which is designed to help disabled veterans overcome challenges through sports.
Netto designed the wheelchair in which he was standing. It enables Netto to stand and participate in many sports, as well as do various tasks such as reaching into cupboards and greeting people eye-to-eye.
Netto, 46, of Capetown, South Africa, was on his way to a major South African golf tournament Dec. 31, 1994, when a drunk driver struck his car, leaving him with a spinal cord injury that left his legs numb and initially immobilized his hands.
Netto's three-wheel, teardrop-shaped, motorized wheelchair lifts him silently and smoothly to a standing position. When seated, Netto demonstrated how the machine races along all kinds of surfaces, including golf course greens.
Netto and Craig Northacker, executive director of Vets-Help.org, have joined forces to develop adaptive support equipment for disabled veterans, which will also be available to the general public.
Northacker said Friday that the nonprofit organization has signed a contract to purchase the former Buteau Motors location on Delaware Street in Walton where the "Stand Up and Play Challenge" headquarters will be housed.
Vets-Help.org has also partnered with William Brodeur of Northeast Fabricators to manufacture the adaptive support equipment.
Northacker said Vets-Help.org also plans to do part of the construction of the special all-terrain wheelchairs in a portion of the Buteau building.
"We are going to be creating 50 to 100 jobs," Northacker said.
Northacker said previously that he has looked at several suitable sites to build affordable housing for veterans, which is also part of the Vets-Help initiative.
He funded the nonprofit organization with $1 million of his funds to get started, but additional funding to begin building homes and businesses in the Walton community will come from government grants, subsidies and Veterans Administration mortgages, he said.
Northacker served in the U.S. Army during and after the Vietnam War with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 11th Special Forces Group. He sustained serious injuries during airborne operations and is classified as a service-connected disabled veteran.
Netto said he is living proof of how much disabled people can gain through sports. His hand movements, core strength and muscle coordination have returned as he continuously works on his golf swing.
He said a sport like golf can motivate a disabled person to do rehabilitation exercises.
Netto said standing rather than sitting also aids with digestion, circulation and breathing. Standing also helps prevent pressure sores, common for wheelchair users.
Northacker said they hope to have the prototype for the adaptive wheelchair perfected by March, and they plan to begin manufacturing them soon after.
Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
