Christa and Saul Welger Foundation

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WF Announces 2025 Grant Recipients

The Welger Foundation is excited to announce the grant recipients for our 2025 grant cycle. This year, we received an incredible amount of applications from multiple sports. We are thrilled to be able to provide grants to the following 13 young athletes, and we look forward to their growth and achievements in their chosen sports!

Robert Deegan – Mickleton, NJ
Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming

Willie Adames – Warnister, PA
Wheelchair Basketball

Aaron Butler Rodriguez – Camden, NJ
Wheelchair Basketball

Alayna Ellis-Jackson – Corona, NY
Wheelchair Basketball

Natalie Sullivan – Washington, DC
Paraclimbing, Wheelchair Tennis

Samuel “Shades” Koehler – Midlothian, VA
Triathlon

Zoey Rooney – Springfield, PA
Swimming, Track & Field

Meredith Nagelin – Vienna, VA
Swimming

Kenley Scout Teller – Haymarket, VA
Swimming

Jorge Farro – New York, NY
Wheelchair Basketball

Jacob Estes – Terryville, CT
Swimming

Julia Mei Estes – Terryville, CT
Swimming

Andrew Ringeisen – Somerset, NJ
Swimming

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About Our Story

Christa and Saul first met at the 1958 Stoke Mandeville Games and renewed their friendship in 1959 at those Stoke Mandeville Games. Fate would bring them back together at the 1960 inaugural Paralympics in Rome, Italy. Lured by the promise of excellent food and spare wheelchair parts, Christa ventured over to the American tent along with a few of her teammates. Saul and Christa started a conversation, but while he stepped away to refill their plates, another athlete came in to charm her. Naturally competitive, Saul shooed the young admirer away. The games were a success for both Christa and Saul—she won eight medals and he won two, but the true win was the start of their romance.

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All donations are Tax Deductible.
The Christa and Saul Welger Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with Tax ID# 84-2550213.

View the 2021 Financial Statement.