When the Brock Niagara Penguins arrived for their practice at the Port Weller Community Centre Thursday, Feb. 20, they discovered $22,000 worth of equipment had been damaged or stolen.

The Brock-housed, not-for-profit and volunteer-run organization is the only ParaSport club in Niagara and offers nine different programs, including swimming, sit volleyball, wheelchair basketball and racing, hand cycling and camps to 60 youth and young adults.

“It’s very disappointing,” says Karen Natho, founder of the club. “We’ve been really concentrating on how to deal with the stolen equipment.”

She says they don’t expect to find the stolen equipment, but deem the situation as a “good news, bad news story.”

“It’s horrible to think people would take equipment that is so needed, but the response has been really heartwarming. We truly feel embraced by the Niagara and Brock community.”

More importantly, she says, people are more aware than ever of the club’s existence. The program, which requires about 22 volunteers throughout the year to run, is largely made up of Brock students.

“There’s nothing like us in the province,” says Natho. “We’re a unique club that offers unique programming for youth and young adults. If there’s any silver lining, there are more people who know about us now than before the theft. Maybe people with physical disabilities will know about us now who didn’t before.”

Natho’s initial thought upon the discovery of the break-in was that they would have to cancel practice due to a lack of equipment, but the team of volunteers persevered to ensure practice still ran.

The club has set up a donation page in hopes of replacing some of the equipment, and Club Belvedere in Thorold is hosting a buffet pasta fundraising dinner Wednesday, April 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for children.

“We’ve had an outpouring of calls and emails from Brock students, staff, faculty and alumni,” says Natho. “We’ve had lots of donations from the Brock community. It’s really nice to see. Some of them I know, some of them I don’t, but they’re all part of the Brock community. It’s something I’m really proud of.”

Natho says donors won’t have to worry about equipment being stolen from an outside trailer from the club again. The City of St. Catharines has found them a new venue for its hand cycling and wheelchair racing practices at the Haig Bowl Arena, where trailers can be parked indoors.