Id/378 Week 1

I have been a member of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club for nine years; starting at nine. Throughout those years, they have taught me the many things that I put into play today. Spending most, if not all of my time at the Olivet’s, I tend to call it my second home. My mother used to always yell at me for not being home all the time. I just loved being there all the time. Through all the support of the Olivet family, I have been able to overcome many obstacles. For example, many may think that because of my height I would have picked basketball as my go to sport; however, that was not the case at all. Luckily, I had a unit director who would not take no for an answer and kept pushing me.

For two years I worked as a camp counselor for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA). In this time, I have worked day camps, inclusion camps, social program,s and even an overnight camp for children, teens, and adults with special needs. My responsibilities were to plan crafts and activities that were inclusive to the various needs and abilities of the campers. Most of all, being a camp counselor meant creating a safe and fun environment for each

One organization in particular that has large involvement within the community to help disabled kids is this organization called Miracle League of the Triangle. This organization is country-wide organization that is located in multiple parts of the country. In particular, one location is in Cary, North Carolina. This organization is specifically related to the sport of baseball. This league operates like a real baseball league where there are multiple teams and each team plays against each other. Each player has some sort of disability where it’s a physical disorder or a mental disorder. The good thing about the involvement is that each player is assisted by a person known as a BUDDY where they help the player run the bases and hit the ball. It’s a real bonding moment for both the player and the BUDDY. It shows that the BUDDY really cares for the player and it makes the player feel more appreciated. The mission statement for the league is to create positive life experiences for children and adults with special needs and for their families through baseball. The league also has some core values in which they take and consider in this organization. Some values are that everything that is done should be player-centered and create an accepting, safe, and fun environment. The world sometimes responds in a ways not to accept people with special needs because they think they don’t fit into the society so they simply exclude them from most activities or other involvements in the community. To change this issue, the leagues organizes the baseball games to give kids a chance to participate in the community even if the league is a specific minority group. It gets these kids more involved to have exposure of interesting things in the world. The league gives everyone the opportunity to participate which creates unity among each other. The BUDDY system helps the staff, board, coaches

Volunteering for the Special Olympics was an incredible experience, while interacting with the athletes I learned to be more appreciative and I saw genuine happiness. I was given the amazing opportunity to volunteer at this event because I am a part of Grace club. Grace club is an organization in my school that helps and interacts with kids who have special needs. One of the club's main goals is informing others about the disabilities these children have and how to properly interact with them. It also works towards building respect for people with disabilities and changing the public's perception of these disabilities. I decided to join Grace club for various reasons, but the main reason I decided to join the club was because I would be able to help and interact with these children. I believe lots of compassion and patience is needed when interacting with these children. Volunteering in this club and the Special Olympics fulfills my needs of helping

Before visiting the Hospital for Special Care Adaptive Sports Program in New Britain, I did not realize all the hard work that goes into working in the adaptive sports program. At first I thought the adaptive sports program was for people who had difficulties playing sport and nothing more. However, after visiting the site, I was completely wrong. The tour guide informed us that the facility purpose is to modify equipment in order for people with certain physical limitation to enjoy the sport comfortably. He informed us that the players do not participate because they have to, but because they love the sport in and of itself. From hearing everything the tour guide was telling the class, I feel the inner pride in him. I realized that he truly loves his job because of the fulfilment he helps the clients achieve, for example gaining friends they can call family and building their confidence.

This school year I had the privilege of coaching our school Native Youth Olympic team. This team was composed of 4th and 5th graders from Snowshoe Elementary in Wasilla Alaska. The team competed at two meets, a local meet as well as a statewide meet. During the local meet, we gathered at Houston Middle School and competed for the first time representing the Snowshoe Trailblazers. The State meet was held at Mirror Lake Middle School in Chugiak, Alaska. Our athletes competed in the arm pull, two-foot-high kick, wrist carry, Alaskan high kick, one-foot-high kick and the scissor broad jump.

In 2013 I attended my first special olympics event, I was so nervous because I had never been around special needs kids and didn’t know how to act or treat them, but the kids made it so easy. Now each year I attend at least four special olympics events and I have the amazing opportunity to travel with the kids to Special Olympics State at Troy University for a weekend. My aunt, Nan Franks is who I thank for introducing me to the sweetest kids I have ever met and also who I thank for giving me so many opportunities to spend time with them. Watching the boys and girls grow and excel over the years gives me an amazing feeling, watching them finally grasp something or finally learning how to say a word or winning a prize at special olympics, I

This event happens once a year and takes place at our high school stadium. Special needs kids come from all around my community to compete in events that best suit their physical or intellectual disabilities. It is truly astounding to see a whole community come together to support these kids. At this past year's Olympics I volunteered as a peer buddy and my responsibilities included walking my buddy, Luke, to his different events and making sure he was having a good time. Luke won first place in the ball throw and second place in the 100 meter dash. I loved seeing how happy he was when he was handed his ribbons and I was so fortunate to have been able to spend the day with

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

I have gone to only three volunteer sessions and have read lots about the Special Olympics Canada (SOC). SOC wants there to be social integration so Special Olympics offers athletes a choice, the choice to train and compete in any sport. No matter their level of disability, age, religion, race, socioeconomic status or place of origin. SOC tries to reach every Canadian community so people understand who they are and how to access their programs. The SOC staff consists of people who have a passion for the sport and who are deliciated on giving the best programs/support for all those involved to enrich their personal health and safety. Subcommittees and strong teams of volunteers strive to meet those expectations. It is reinforced that every athlete's

Describe a setting in which you have collaborated or interacted with people whose experiences and/or beliefs differ from yours. Address your initial feelings, and how those feelings were or were not changed by this experience.

I feel a sense of happiness when I am working and practicing with my team in the gym. My teammates support me and in return I try to be a leader and encourage them in a positive manner. During last school year, I volunteered

With the help of teachers and my efforts, I have been successful and was even a recipient of an academic achievement award for students with a 3.6 GPA or higher. It is not always easy learning the materials, studying and placing my thoughts onto paper, yet I will continue to advocate for myself in any circumstance necessary. Despite having learning challenges in the classroom, it does not limit my activities outside of the classroom. I love to volunteer! One of my favorite activities includes being a volunteer buddy for the Miracle League of the Fox Valley. The Miracle League is a baseball organization for children and adolescents with physical and/or cognitive challenges. My role of a buddy is to assist my fellow buddy in any needs she may need, protect her from possible injuries and make sure she is having fun! I love having the opportunity of being a buddy, it has formed a forever lasting companionship and provided smiles that touch us all! Addition to the Miracle League, I’m a member of National Honor Society in which I volunteer in several community organizations to help better the community. I was honored to be selected as a Link Crew member. It has been one of my greatest opportunities to advocate for my peers with disabilities. This is a first time that Appleton North Link Crew created a program for students with physical and cognitive challenges to be included in a freshman transition program in

Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the

Not only did I involve myself at the Judo club in UCLA as an undergraduate, but I also later worked to further expand the judo community in the US. The absence of any US competitors in the 2015 judo Special Olympics competition, even though the US hosted the event, highlighted the lack of contribution by judo organizations in the US toward providing classes and tournament events for athletes of intellectual disability. Being able to study international development in UCLA, as well as study abroad, gave me the skills I needed to study the ways in which judo organizations in countries like France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and even Nigeria ran their judo programs for children and adults of special needs. With this knowledge, I worked with judo instructors in the US who shared a similar passion for helping athletes with special needs to create in 2025 a new organization dedicated to expanding special-needs judo classes and events across the US, as well as finally getting a US team to be top contenders in the Special Olympics World