A Colorado Springs athlete is representing the United States at an international Paralympic competition after earning a spot on the country's first youth goalball team in years.

Colorado School for the Blind alumna Tayler Moses is a key member of the USA's first goalball team in years as the girls prepare for the youth World Championship in Kazakhstan.

Goalball is a professional Paralympic sport that combines elements from bowling and soccer, in which athletes are required to wear eye shades that block out all vision and throw a medicine-type ball filled with rattles at the opposing team's net. Blind defenders must rely entirely on sound to block the heavy ball with their body, often at considerable pain to the defender.

The team's path to Kazakhstan has not come without financial hurdles. While the professional USA goalball team receives grants and funding to compete, the young girls on the USA Youth team must individually fundraise to pay their way to Kazakhstan.

A national fundraising effort is underway to help close that gap. Panda Express is hosting a nationwide fundraiser for the Youth Goalball team, and customers who order online and use the code 9017040 will trigger a donation of 28% of the sale to the team.

Details on the team's departure date and competition schedule in Kazakhstan have not yet been confirmed publicly.