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Kennedy Krieger Institute's ROAR For Kids Fundraiser Goes Virtual

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Kennedy Krieger Institute's Annual ROAR for Kids Fundraiser is once again going virtual but they're still hoping to raise a ton of money for some great organizations like the Bennett Blazers. This sports program is for physically challenged children, like 10-year-old Landon Brown.

From a climbing wall to a swimming pool, Landon is quite the athlete.
"I play sports like lacrosse, golf, hockey," he said, adding his favorite sport is baseball.
The naturally gifted athlete from Towson being able to step on the ball field, is something his father Chris Brown said wasn't sure he would ever be able to do.

"When he was a baby, he wasn't hitting the developmental milestones," he said.

Landon was diagnosed with left-sided hemiparesis, a form of cerebral palsy, caused by a stroke at birth.

Chris Brown said thanks to the amazing team at Kennedy Krieger, they've been able to "fly past some of those milestones that we weren't sure that we were going to achieve."

Landon currently suits up for the Bennett Blazers.

"Being around athletes with similar disabilities has really shown Landon that you can still excel, you can still succeed at life," Chris Brown said.

Gerry Herman, cofounder of the Blazers, says the program is about building confidence and setting goals.

"They come here and what they do is, they get confidence to go out into the community and join community sports. But for the kids who don't do that, we try to give them as many sports as possible," Herman said.

With all the specialized equipment and travel, it can be expensive. Funding for the program comes from all over, including Kennedy Krieger's ROAR for Kids fundraiser.

"t's extremely important," Herman said. "Without it, we would have to cut back."

It should come as no surprise that Landon is a top young fundraiser for ROAR, raising more than $10,300 over the past five years.

"It's really special to me," Landon said, "It's great to see that not just the Bennett Blazers but Kennedy Krieger has so many thankful supporters."

Click here to learn how you can help or donate.

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