Faces of ESFL

Ania Marecka

This month we are spotlighting Ania Marecka. Ania was born without arms and with one shortened leg in Konin, Poland. She learned to use her feet just as any other baby would use its hands. At the age of eight, Anna came to the USA with her mother to undergo an operation to lengthen her leg. The process was long and painful, but the results were worth it. Ania attended her first Skills for Life workshop in 2015 and hasn't missed one since. She has also become super competitive with bowling taking on Ronnie and Andy at their bowling tourney fundraisers. Ania is an artist and lives in Charlotte, NC with her teenage son, Jacob and her service dog, Expo.

Check out one of Ania's cool videos that she put together about how she created a paint color wheel.

*Each month, we will highlight people in our community. Email and tell us whose story we should share!

Message from the Executive Director

Latest News, Tips & Resources

Ronnie Hindsman's 6th Annual Bowling Tournament!

A huge thank you to Ronnie Hindsman, Triple J Lanes the Livingston community, and all others who have supported this tournament over the years.

The i's have been dotted, the t's have been crossed, every nickel and dime counted and the results are in...

Ronnie's 6th bowling tournament raised $21,115, bringing his 6 year total to $104,000. This is an amazing accomplishment! The money raised makes a significant impact on ESFL being able to provide resources and opportunities to our community. Each dollar helps support programs, in person events, webinars, peer connections, and more. Each one of these are helping us fulfill our mission of empowering, educating, and connecting those living without both arms or more.

If it weren’t for Ronnie Hindsman, we honestly wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing today. We wouldn’t have Andy Mattox hosting his bowling tournament in Medina, OH, we wouldn’t have 19 people who’ve been introduced to adapted bowling, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing peer connections, hosting webinars, providing resources, or holding skills for life events. Most importantly we wouldn’t be able to provide scholarships to attend events like Skills for Life and these bowling tournaments. Thank you Ronnie, Livingston, TX and your bowling family. You and that little 6” bowling device (thank you, Texas Assistive Devices,) have sparked a movement in the bilateral upper limb difference world!!

Hands Free: A Beginner's Guide for Adaptive Equipment & Helpful Gadgets

We are excited to finally be able to announce that Enhancing Skills for Life is publishing an adaptive equipment catalog!

This project has been in the works for a long time. The authors, staff, OT students and reviewers have worked very hard over the past few years to release this comprehensive resource to our community. The catalog will be fully digital, easily accessible, with links and pictures, as well as descriptions of adaptive equipment and useful gadgets.

We are gearing up to release the catalog on April 1st, which is perfect timing in our eyes, as April is Limb Loss/Limb Difference Awareness Month and Occupational Therapy month.

This project was partially funded through the Empowerment Grant from Hanger Foundation. Thank you again, #HangerFoundation!

We are excited to be able to provide this resource for our community and their family members. Stay tuned to our social media and the RESOURCES section of our website.

Mark Your Calendars - Skills for Life 7!!

We are pleased to announce Skills for Life 7: Bilateral Upper Limb Difference Workshop will be taking place October 16-18, 2025. in Houston, TX.

Mark your calendars and make plans to join us! This event only happens every 3 years so you don't want to miss it. At our past few workshops, we had over 75 people living without both arms or all four limbs from all over the world attend. Even if you have come before, you have not seen it all, learned it all or met every person. Every workshop is different and you don't want to miss out on this life changing event.

Video recap from Skills for Life 6 to get you motivated to block off the dates. If we had a nickel for every time we heard people say, they wish they had prioritized coming or hadn't skipped a year, we would have about $5.00. All jokes aside, just do it, make it happen. If you have wanted to come before, but didn't, there really should not be anything stopping you. We offer scholarships up to $1k to help offset hotel and travel.

Website with hotel information and basic information coming this summer! Stay tuned to this newsletter and our website over the coming months.

ESFL Zooms

Zoom Pause

We hope to resume the zooms in April, please forgive us for the absence in February, but we have been tied up with SFL 7 hotel contract, the Hands Free Catalog, Ronnie's tournament and a special overseas mission that we hope to share more about in April.

If you have an idea for a monthly zoom, please contact us!

Upcoming Events & Programs

Change a Life, Donate Today



The Skills for Life workshop was developed in 2002 with a specific focus on people living without both arms or more and the unique set of circumstances they face on a daily basis. The nonprofit was founded in 2017 to ensure we could continue supporting the members of our community with programs, events, resources, and connections. Please click the Venmo or PayPal donate buttons in this section to donate. PayPal allows you to donate via your account or with a credit card. Venmo requires you to have an account. Donations can also be made via check, payable to Enhancing Skills for Life, 16111 Park Center Dr, Houston, TX 77059.

Any and all donations, large or small, are greatly appreciated! 

Enhancing Skills for Life, 501c3 Tax ID: 81-2619137.