May 2019 Athlete of the Month – Doug Braun
Just weeks ago, Doug Braun celebrated his 61st birthday, so it is completely fitting to honor this dedicated SABAH athlete as the 2019 May Athlete of the Month. For 26 years, Doug has been a participant in SABAH’s Evening and Weekend programs. As one of our older participants, Doug is a confident and steady skater. As Executive Director Sheila O’Brien states, “Doug is the epitome of slow and steady wins the race. Not too fast, not too slow….Doug enjoys the ride and spending time talking with his long time volunteer partner, Joe Reinhart.”
Doug is also known to his friends at the Northtown Center at Amherst as the aficionado of vintage cartoons, as he can talk endlessly about “Punkin Puss” and other old cartoon characters. Doug is also a tremendous fan of vintage folk music, most especially songs from the American folk group, the Limelighters. When he is not reading cartoons or listening to folk music, Doug can be found enjoying a Weidemann’s beer while planning his future as a farmer. In fact, Doug already grows his own pumpkins!
While we celebrate the achievements of all our athletes, there is something very special about SABAH’s older adults who, regardless of age or disability, continue to stay socially engaged and active. Doug is one of those special adult SABAH athletes who continues to persevere past many challenges to be stronger and healthier. For his commitment and dedication, we enthusiastically name Doug Braun as SABAH’s 2019 May Athlete of the Month.