September 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Building New Partnerships
Special Olympics Virginia helps expand access to parks and recreation
By Veronica Jennings
S
pecial Olympics Virginia's mission is to provide year-round sports
training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type
sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving
them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness;
demonstrate courage; experience joy; and participate in a sharing of gifts,
skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes
and the community.
From a backyard summer camp
for people with intellectual disabilities
to a global movement, Special
Olympics has been changing lives
and attitudes since 1968. The genesis
of Special Olympics was a summer
day camp that Sargent Shriver
and Eunice Kennedy Shriver started
in the backyard of their Maryland
home. In July 1968, the world
Partnerships between
Special Olympics
and park and
recreation agencies
increase equitable
access to parks and
recreation for people
with intellectual
disabilities.
witnessed
the
first
International
Special Olympics Games at Soldier
Field in Chicago. In December of
that year, the Joseph P. Kennedy
Foundation
incorporated
Special
Olympics. Since then, Special
Olympics has grown to become the
largest program of its kind.
Today, Special Olympics Virginia
is made up of 422 communityand
school-based programs that offer
sports training and competition
to children and adults with and
without
intellectual disabilities.
More than 18,000 athletes currently
benefit from the program, which
offers approximately 2,000 competition
opportunities each year in 13
Olympic-style sports, with the help
of approximately 4,500 volunteers.
Programs at the local, regional and
state level - including our largest
event, Summer Games - are supported
by volunteers of all ages and
promote the development of life
skills, improve health and fitness,
and increase self-esteem.
Special Olympics is open to all
children and adults with intellecSpecial
Olympics programs are open to
all children and adults with intellectual
disabilities and help participants develop
life skills, improve their health and
fitness, and increase self-esteem.
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| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
tual disabilities, from those who
are profoundly disabled to those
who are high functioning, as well
as individuals with multiple disabilities.
Participation can begin as
early as 2 years old, thanks to our
Young Athletes program, and can
continue throughout life. There is
no upper-age limit. The program
is open to all persons with intellectual
disabilities regardless of race,
religion,
gender
or
nationality.
There are no fees charged to the
athletes or their families.
Throughout the state of Virginia,
we have partnered with park
and recreation departments
for
more than 20 years in Hampton,
Fairfax and Loudoun Counties to
make our programs more accessible
to the communities we serve.
These types of partnerships allow
us to reach more athletes who not
only are able to train in facilities
with their teammates, but also with
their
peers
without
intellectual
disabilities. It is important for the
community to see what our athletes
can do.
As we continue to rebound from
the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
our focus is to continue to
develop these partnerships across
the state so that we can continue
to grow the program and our athletes
can be stronger, fitter and
healthier!
Veronica Jennings is Assistant Vice
President, Local Program Services for
Special Olympics Virginia (vjennings@
specialolympicsva.org).
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS VIRGINIA
September 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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