Climb to Change a Life 2018 – Empower children with movement disabilities

98 Sparks empowers children with movement disabilities to reach new heights through the ZY foundation & Climb to Change a Life events

2 in every one-thousand births globally result in movement disabilities. When Walter Lee’s son, Zy, was nine years-old, he carried him on his back up to the peak of Kilimanjaro making him the first disabled child to do so. The fulfillment Zy had once reaching the top made Walter want to devote his time to empowering other children with movement disabilities.

Walter Lee, a Thai entrepreneur, restaurateur, author, and social worker, then founded Zy Movement Foundation in 2010. His son, Zy, which the foundation was named  was after, was born in 2006 with a complete left arm, half a right arm, no right leg, a malformed left leg and dislocated hip joints. 

Zy Movement Foundation organizes their Climb to Change a Life activities year-round and in multiple countries throughout Asia. The activity allows parents and volunteers to empower and assist “differently-abled” children to summit some of the most spectacular mountains in the world, often by carrying a child up the mountain on their backs. This gives the children a once in a lifetime chance to make a mark and allows the parents and volunteers to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

Walter Lee’s mission with Zy Movement Foundation is to raise awareness and support so that these children can achieve their dreams and overcome any physical or social barriers. In the future Walter Lee hopes to take the event to other countries around the world with diverse nature and mountainous regions. 

Zy Movement Foundation also wants to facilitate research on pediatric orthopedics, prosthetics and orthotic and physiotherapy, as well as establish a “teach and travel” program.

 

“Our goal is to inspire, empower, and enable”

-Walter Lee, Zy Movement Foundation Founder and President

98 Sparks Partnership with Climb to Change a Life

In 2018 Nic Pannekeet, 98 Sparks own co-founder, and Jiachao Wang, single-armed Paralympic swimmer, whose 2020 Paralympic journey is being sponsored by 98 Sparks, embarked on a Climb to Change a Life excursion in southern Bangkok.

“The event was very powerful. The kids absolutely loved it and were happy the whole day. They had already completed a few climbs, and the parents exclaimed how the children have gained more and more confidence to climb the mountains, “ Nic says recalling the event. A Climb to Change a Life really emphasizes just how normal the children are, how they just want to have fun and see the top of the world, like any other child. “The experience has triggered me to want to be even more involved and to support the foundation with the experience and resources we have within 98 Sparks” says Nic when asked about his experience meeting Walter Lee. This is the time to alleviate the hardships that differently-abled people face in their lives with disruptive technology and exponential solutions. We are extremely excited to see what this life-changing foundation will do in the future.

In March 2019 Nic, Jiachao and Walter organized a Climb to Change a Life event at the Great Wall of China. It was such a special experience to organize this event in ‘our’ country and have these kids experience ‘the wall’. We are very fortunate that we can support the Zy Foundation by setting up events.  We are also very excited to announce that the next Climb to Change a Life event will take place in November 2019 in the home town of Jiachao, Yunnan. Organized again by 98 Sparks in cooperation with Jiachao to empower youth with a movement disability.

 

Click to watch Walter & Zy’s powerful and moving TEDtalk

And Visit their website to get involved!