Charity Challenge Cup comes to Ocala Feb. 20-22
The Balcony Gymnastics team is supporting the Finding a Cure for ALG13-CDG endeavor.
Zenika Hale, right, participates in Balcony Gymnastics programs. The Balcony team will participate in the Charity Challenge Cup to support the Finding a Cure for ALG13-CDG project, which could benefit Zenika’s sister, Siena, center, who has the rare genetic disorder. Their mother, Keszia, helped launch the nonprofit. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
Hundreds of tumbling, jumping and flipping gymnasts will descend on the World Equestrian Center soon. And the good news is, their activities will help nonprofits.
The Charity Challenge Cup, presented by Lightning City Gymnastics and Cheerleading, in Lutz, will draw teams from around the state. It will be held in WEC’s Expo Center 1, at 1284 NW 87th Court Road, Ocala.
One of the competing teams will be Balcony Gymnastics in Ocala. One of the team supporters is Zenika Hale, from Dunnellon, whose sister, Siena, is one of fewer than 100 children in the world with a rare genetic disorder called ALG13-CDG. It is one of type of a group of metabolic diseases known as congenital disorders of glycosylation, or CDG. ALG13-CDG is caused when a mutation arises spontaneously in someone’s ALG13 gene or is inherited. In Siena’s case it was spontaneous. Zenika was not born with ALG13-CDG.
Zenika is a participant in the Balcony Gymnastics program and Balcony’s competing team will be raising awareness and contributions for Finding a Cure for ALG13-CDG.
There is no cure for ALG13-CDG, so parents of children like Siena are raising money to collaborate with the biotech company Perlara PBC on a drug repurposing project to find a potential treatment to improve the quality of life for their children. Siena’s mother, Keszia Hale, is the project director for Finding a Cure for ALG13-CDG.
According to competition information shared by Hale, the teams will earn money in various ways, including $15 from each athlete, team awards, individual awards, highest scores, spirit awards and more. The team that earns the most money for its charity will earn the Charity Challenge Cup trophy.
Admission to the Charity Challenge Cup is $25 per day for adults; $15 for ages 5 to 17.
To learn more about the event in Ocala, go to lightningcity.com
To donate directly to help Siena’s family and others, go to secure.givelively.org/donate/cdg-care/finding-a-cure-for-alg13-cdg
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