The legacy of Zech DeVits lives on, as NHTI hosts its 16th annual Wheelchair Basketball Benefit today at 4 p.m. in the Goldie Crocker Wellness Center.
As always, the competition features a team comprised of NHTI students coordinated by athletic director Paul Hogan versus a team made up of NHTI faculty, administrators and staff, backed by players from event sponsors Granite State Independent Living and the N.H. Spinal Cord Injury Association.
Admission is by donation (free for NHTI students), and proceeds from the game and accompanying silent auction and 50/50 raffle will be matched by the NHTI Student Senate to help purchase assistive technology for students with disabilities.
Zech DeVits, for whom the event is named, died at age 22 in 2005, just weeks before graduating from NHTI with an Associate degree in addiction counseling. Born with gigantism, a rare genetic condition, and skeletal dysplasia, Zech had used a wheelchair since age six. Despite his towering 7-foot, 8-inch frame and large features, Zech quickly became a beloved role model on campus.
The first wheelchair benefit evolved as part of an education course project in which students raised funds to help refurbish Zech’s wheelchair-accessible van. The campus continues to hold the event in his memory, raising money to help other students with disabilities.
Contact Deb Smith at dsmith@ccsnh.edu or 271-6484, ext. 4314, or Deb Reardon at dreardon@ccsnh.edu or 271-6484, ext. 4432, for more information.