On May 7, 2019, Farmington High School will be hosting the area’s Special Olympic track meet. The meet will showcase the Farmington special education students and their outstanding athletic ability. These students will be able to compete against other students from area schools, like Park Hills Central in races and events like the softball throw. The mission statement of Special Olympics Missouri 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.”
Mr. Shaw is heading this event and is still looking for volunteers to help out. Volunteers can receive service hours for their organizations and will be out of school the entire day. This will be a very rewarding experience for anyone who wants to help. He explained how this experience affects his athletes: “Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills and success. Our athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment — on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential.” If you want to volunteer please email Mr. Samuel Shaw.
While this is very exciting, there has been a recent threat to Special Olympics. There has been a recent proposal to cut the funding to Special Olympics by millions of dollars. However, many say that there is really no chance that this proposal will pass.