January 2021 – present

Challenger Baseball is an adaptive baseball program by the Jays Care Foundation, where kids living with physical and/or cognitive disabilities find a place on a team where they belong. Challenger Baseball ensures athletes of all abilities have the opportunity to play in a fun and safe environment where they learn to become more independent, build confidence, and create lasting friendships with their peers.
Jays Care Foundation, 2025.

In early 2021, the Jays Care Foundation partnered with Recreational Respite to launch a much-needed respite support opportunity to provide in-home support for Challenger Baseball families during the pandemic. The goal was to provide families with reputable respite care to help athletes continue to progress through the development of life skills, motor skills, and meaningful activities, while reducing the financial and emotional costs brought on by the pandemic.

Our work in the early years of this partnership was highly concentrated on the ways that we could maximize opportunities for the promotion of social health, connectivity, and participation for the athletes (and their families), who faced great isolation due to the restrictions of of the pandemic. This was an amazing time of innovation between organizations and dedicated professionals who supported our most vulnerable populations, and we are thankful for everyone involved who made this a possibility for so many families.

Due to the invaluable impact of the Respite Support Opportunity for Jays Care athletes and families, this partnership has been renewed in 2022, 2023, 2024 and again in 2025. Our Community Engagement Providers have created countless opportunities for quality participation and meaningful engagement, focusing on opportunities for autonomy, challenge, and belonging. We’ve supported Challenger Baseball athletes and families with thousands of hours of respite support each year, and our goal is to offer reliable respite to the family, and meaningful engagement for the athlete at the same time.

Our team at Recreational Respite are beyond grateful to partner with the Jays Care Foundation to deliver these needed supports for families. Read testimonials about the impact of this initiative, and learn more at the links below.