The Kyle Pease Foundation is proud to introduce the newest member of the KPF Staff, our Warehouse Manager, Emanuel McFarland.

Since KPF started in 2011, we have dreamed of a world where inclusiveness is the norm, and we’ve created a team and environment where employing people with disabilities is part of our everyday culture. We’re excited to announce this addition to our staff and look forward to hiring our next Inclusion Employee in the future. As of today, we employ four individuals with disabilities who support our daily operations and are continuing the efforts of the Kyle Pease Foundation.

On a basketball court in Fairburn, GA, wheelchair athletes zipped up and down, lobbing a handball through the air. They pivot, they split the chasing defense, shooting the ball in the goals situated on opposite sides of the court. This fierce match of Wheelchair Soccer would be where Kyle Pease meets future KPF superstar and employee Emanuel McFarland.

“My first impression was that he had an amazing attitude, and I was glad he was on our team,” says Kyle.

Born with cerebral palsy, McFarland first discovered adaptive sports when he joined the Atlanta Wolfpack, a wheelchair sports team supported by The American Association of Adaptive Sports. One day, after leaving a practiced scrimmage game, Emanuel rolled out of the high school gym and on to a track. Blazing around the oval, embracing the thrill, McFarland would launch himself into endurance racing.

As The Kyle Pease Foundation was formed, Emanuel stayed in touch with Kyle. They met up regularly. They’d shoot the breeze, talk sports and about how the Foundation was evolving.

On one occasion, Kyle invited Emanuel to a race – the ConnnectAbility 5k – where he met KPF push-assist athlete Marnie Harris, who had volunteered to run with him.

“It was a hot day,” Emanuel recalled. “I was nervous because it was a new experience. I was like, ‘What am I getting myself into?’”

The sharp corners. The undulating racecourse. Harris’s support along the way.

“Road racing is very different from track racing,” McFarland stated. “It was exhilarating.”

Thereafter, Emanuel progressed from 10ks to half-marathons, ascending to each road-racing echelon, pushing through boundaries. His capabilities quickly outran his old rim-racer. Luckily, he received a new hand bike from KPF. Faster, the handcycle could keep up with Emanuel’s fast spirit, enabling him to surmount superior goals.

In 2013, McFarland would crank toward his biggest athletic goal yet – The Marine Corp Marathon. Teamed up with Harris, Emanuel weaved in and out of the shadows of the Pentagon, rocketed by the hallowed grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery, and cranked up the surprise hill toward the finish.

“It was an amazing experience,” Emanuel said.

After races, he comes home to his 9-year-old daughter, Lyana. He manages to strike the balance between racing, work and taking care of Lyana.

“Schedules are really important,” McFarland asserts. As a single father, he gets her up, helps her get ready for school before he goes to work, managing the inventory at KPF’s warehouse. Through the difficulties, McFarland maintains a positive attitude, under the watchful eye of Lyana. 

“I want her to understand that it’s important to take advantage of opportunities offered,” McFarland states. “And don’t give up on your dreams.”