Even though Monday's golf tournament at Oak Pointe Country Club got rained out, the people who came out to participate didn't seem deterred. The ones we talked to were still happy to come out and support the First Step Foundation and hear stories from the people whose lives it has impacted.
"Today’s kind of my highlight of year. We get the opportunity to come out here to a pretty unique place. The opportunity to bring all of our high level athletes out for something that’s bigger than just sports," says First Step founder Mike Barwis.
First Step is an organization that -- simply put -- helps people who thought they may never walk again get back on their feet. Brock Mealer was the first of many inspirations to come out of it.
He was injured in a car accident in 2007 and was told he may never walk again. Within nine months of working with Barwis, Mealer was able to walk on the field for a home opener at The Big House in Ann Arbor.
He says events like this one bring a really special group together. "It is incredibly inspirational to me to be able to work with so many professional athletes, but even more so work with so many people that have faced incredible challenges. I get to see their stories, I get to see the challenges and the struggles, but then I also get to see their victories," Mealer explains.
Former Michigan linebacker and current Arizona Cardinals linebacker coach Larry Foote says seeing and talking to the people who are benefiting from First Step Arizona is well worth it.
