By Shannon Prather

Star Tribune

Born in Jamaica with spina bifida, Mark Braun was abandoned in a trash bin as an infant. After a police officer heard his cries, he was placed in a crowded orphanage in the mountains where many children never reached adulthood.

He dodged death again with the help of a handful of Minnesota charities, which sent food to his orphanage, brought used wheelchairs up the mountain for the kids, and placed young Mark on the lap of a kindly church volunteer from Mounds View who fought to adopt him.

Today Braun, 23, is one of the fastest wheelchair sprinters in the United States and has his sights set on the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.

He clocked a 100-meter sprint in 14.88 seconds and competed two years ago in the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships in Qatar.

“His story is pretty amazing,” said Braun’s coach, Brett Followay, who works with Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio. “He is very, very gifted. He is a natural athlete. … He’s fun. He’s an all-around good guy.”

Braun, who is also a four-time national wheelchair basketball champion with the Junior Rolling Timberwolves, uses a custom-fit race chair with three wheels. His arms and abs do all the work.

But competing isn’t all he does. Strongly influenced by his activist mother, Claire, Braun has already jumped into philanthropy and advocacy.

He travels around the world not only to compete but also to advocate for people with disabilities. He used a meeting with the prime minister of Jamaica to convince the government to release seven disabled children for international adoption.

“I want to be the voice for these kids,” Braun said. “I want to help them be successful in life.”

When he’s home in Minnesota, Braun visits hospitals to introduce kids and parents to adaptive sports. He coaches other athletes with disabilities, and he works part-time at the Emma B. Howe YMCA in Coon Rapids.

Braun is featured in the Science Museum of Minnesota’s new Sportsology interactive sprint exhibit. He filmed a video at the State Fair on the challenges of getting around on wheels; access remains a near-daily struggle, he said, even though the Americans with Disabilities Act is 27 years old.

“His personality is magnetic. He is someone who when he talks to you, he makes you feel very special,” said Margie Rask, executive director at the Y. “He has the innate ability to work with kids. He sees them for they are. He doesn’t talk to down to them.”

Braun said he’s proof that a little help can go a long way. “I am all for inclusiveness and getting kids engaged,” he said.