What began with a phone call and impromptu ski lesson in 1992 has led to 25 years of service to the blind, disabled, and wounded veterans by Sandy Hook-based LOF Adaptive Skiers. "A lot has happened in 25 years and 99 percent has been good," LOF Founder Joel Zeisler said.

A competitive waterskier, Mr Zeisler "had a call from an individual who wanted to learn to waterski and jump and I agreed to teach him and help. And only at the end of the conversation he told me that he was blind."

Using a floating ramp in Lake Zoar along his Housatonic Drive lakeside property, Mr Zeisler said, "Through trial and error we got him over the jump and he went on to become a national and world champion, setting records in the disabled waterski division." This was Mr Zeisler's first experience with teaching people with disabilities, "and it just happened," he said.

Mr Zeisler's phone call had been from Mark Hieftje, who was director of the blind at the West Haven Veterans Affairs hospital. An Army veteran, he had lost his sight in Vietnam in 1969 from a grenade. Mr Hieftje still keeps in contact with Mr Zeisler. He now lives in Alabama and "comes up to ski, instruct, and mentor on a yearly basis."

Mr Hieftje's ski jump lessons had gained attention.

"Another blind individual from Bethel had heard about what we did with Mark and he joined up," Mr Zeisler said. By 1997, "we started bringing in impaired and blind children, so our roots are from the blind." The LOF is run by volunteers and at no cost to participants.

During the next several years LOF continued to develop.

"The decision for starting an actual program for the disabled was very gradual, year by year - evaluating and adding" opportunities for all disabilities, veterans, and in past years has also begun adaptive snow skiing, Mr Zeisler said. "Little by little, year by year," LOF was "just filling the needs of the disabled community."

The organization had originally been the Lake Zoar Waterski Club, then had been known as the Leaps Of Faith, "and they had faith in me leading them over the jump," Mr Zeisler said. By the mid-90s he had needed to recruit volunteers, but in past years the volunteers have come to him. Among them are high school and college students and local families. Volunteers may come from as far away as New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Australia. "All are wonderful and a very giving, talented group," which now totals more than 100 people.

An organization that had "started from scratch," now relies on fundraising and since 1992 "has raised every penny ourselves," Mr Zeisler said.

In the early, cold first days of 2017, Mr Zeisler sat in his home office just a few yards away form the frigid winter water. There, from his yard along the river, is where he has run his waterskiing clinics for 25 years. With him was one part-time volunteer Elizabeth Kloczko, a student coordinator for Quinnipiac University in Hamden, and also an occupational therapist there.

Ms Kloczko had found LOF for a patient and soon became involved as a part-time staffer. She has a group of occupational therapy students "who are involved with conducting research as part of their capstone project exploring the influence on quality of life adaptive waterskiing and adaptive sports has on individuals."

Rewarding Moments

Referring to handwritten notes, Mr Zeisler glanced back at the two-and-a-half decades, considering the rewarding moments, volunteers, participants, children, LOF's future, and more. Covering nearly three pages of notebook paper were "so many" rewarding moments. Topping the list was, "Seeing a disabled participant win a national and world tournament."

Remembering that time, Mr Zeisler said, "Those were the early days [roughly 2000] primarily with the blind and visually impaired, and we had some participants winning championships." The time "was particularly rewarding because I was there training and coaching." Mark Hieftje and Allen Golabeck of Bethel won world tournaments in Australia and in England and Mr Zeisler "was there with them as their guide for waterski jumping. I go with them toward the ramp but they go over on their own and land on their own."

Mr Hieftje's tournaments had "introduced me to competition for adaptive sports for disabled people," Mr Zeisler said. At one point, Mr Golabeck and Mr Hieftje were involved in the same tournaments and in England where "they were tied, it was exciting."

Mr Zeisler's notes included the starred and circled comment: "Every moment is rewarding working with all the children, adults, and veterans with disabilities." He went on to list: putting together a visually impaired, blind camp for children; doing the first Wounded Warrior program in New York City; doing the first Wounded Warrior program in Connecticut; a Wounded Warrior program on Lake Lillinonah with 60 participants and family members; having all families for a quiet picnic ski day after 12/14; putting on successful off-site events; becoming involved with REACH Newtown, which is an outreach for children at risk; mentoring and teaching a young female marine with posttraumatic stress disorder. He wrote that he not only mentored her, but helped her to "turn the page and make her a mentor and ski instructor."

LOF's involvement with REACH will also continue. Mr Zeisler said, "Last year we established a wonderful rapport with our new friend Adam Carley, founder and director of Newtown REACH, who works with Newtown youth at risk. He along with LOF are looking forward to getting dates on the calendar for this year."

The ski club also has a program for children of incarcerated parents. Mr Zeisler said, "They have never had a day on the lake with good food, fun."

He noted another rewarding moment of "teaching a Vietnam vet missing his hands to waterski." Jerry Miserandino is the man who continued on to become a waterski instructor and is "our lead certified snow ski instructor" and is taking the lead with LOF snow ski programs. He lost his hands to a grenade, Mr Zeisler said. The two men met at a Wounded Warrior program in Farmington. From out of state, Mr Miserandino comes to Connecticut for local events and also participates in training programs with LOF volunteers.

Some of the rewards are immediate.

"When kids leave and say this has been the best day of their life, that's rewarding," he said. Other rewards are long-term. "Seeing local high school and college students after several years of volunteering here going on to health care careers for people with disabilities."

He has also encountered participants who at first thought they "could not do this, and then they can't wait until the next [LOF] clinic."

Mr Zeisler also travels to Orlando, Fla., offering adaptive ski events in April and November. LOF receives a grant from the city to help cover costs.

He added, "Yes, we have improved the lives of so many people through fun, socialization, exercise, and learning a skill - amazing."

Glancing around his home office, Mr Zeisler admitted that LOF had outgrown the location, and is looking for a new spot on the lake to construct a small building. Currently all the adaptive ski equipment is stored at his home. LOF seeks a new space to serve as a lodge area, offices, restrooms, a workout room, and dock facility.

"We are growing, and everything is very positive," he said. The volunteer base has grown, "and we are looking for a property to build on this or another lake."

A new facility will enable LOF to broaden what it has to offer. A new facility would also be available for use by other charitable groups, Mr Zeisler said.

Ms Kloczko added, "It would also serve participants not just seasonally, but throughout the year." Possibly they could run adaptive classes "to help them keep up physical wellness."

LOF relies on fundraising to support the free programming, and will also contribute to a new building, which Mr Zeisler estimates is several years "down the road." He said, "Fundraising is never easy; it's hard work but with the volunteers we bring in what we need, and needing a new building, we need more fundraising."

He must first find a property.

"We need level waterfront property, which is a premium, and we need to be local." The organization is looking in Derby and Shelton, on Lake Zoar, Lake Lillinonah and Candlewood Lake. "We need either a donation or lease, something reasonable," he said.

Learn more about LOF Adaptive Skiers at. The site includes background information, programs, events, current LOF news, and the mission statement: "To build lasting confidence and fulfillment, through exposure and professional training in recreational and competitive water and snow skiing to both children and adults with disabilities." lofadaptiveskiers.org