By Jayden Racca for Mid-Hudson News
BEACON – Coach Chris Shaw, 32, of Wappingers Falls is an inspiration to many through the game of basketball. But it is not through high-flying dunks or a lightning crossover.
Diagnosed at age two with cerebral palsy, Shaw has limited function of his right hand and right leg. He is also blind in one eye. However, despite all of this, he serves as a basketball coach and mentor at the Salvation Army in Beacon for those facing challenges of their own.
“I literally coach whoever walks through the door,” Shaw says. “Just because you look different, act different, or sound different doesn’t mean you can’t be included.”
It was Shaw’s own youth experience with the game that motivated him to step forward, back onto the hardwood. “I wasn’t making any friends until I picked up a basketball because I was shy and didn’t feel like I had a place in the world,” he explained.
Shaw’s nonprofit youth-to-adult basketball program consists of participants all within Dutchess County. While those coming to play are welcomed with a friendly, inclusive athletic environment, Shaw is also hoping to be a mentor for others that he always wished he had.
“When I was growing up, there was nobody in my situation for me to look up to. So I am doing it so people can look up to me and I will be the beacon to say that you can do it.”
