Chicago – On Saturday, September 22, Mount Carmel High School was the gracious host to some 300 Special Olympic athletes.  In a partnership that was developed through Special Olympics of Chicago and Mount Carmel staff members who volunteer their time with the Chicago Area office, the event was a tremendous success.

            Begun in 1968 by Justice Anne M. Burke, the first International Special Olympic Games were held at Soldier Field in July.  Since that time, Special Olympics Chicago has provided year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  The events provide continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy.  Participation allows for a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with the athletes’ families and other Special Olympics athletes.

Internationally, more than a million athletes in 150 nations worldwide are involved in the Special Olympics.  In the Chicago area approximately 5000 athletes train and participate in 22 different sports training programs and competition events.

            Through participation in Special Olympics Chicago, athletes learn fundamentals, rules, and strategies from their coaches prior to competitions.  Competitions are held at the Area, Regional, and State levels. 

            Therapeutic Recreation Manager for the Chicago Park District, Gerry Henaghan, commented that the event was “great” and “We are excited about coming back to Mount Carmel next year.”

            Close to 300 athletes participated in the volleyball competition that was held in the new Cacciatore Athletic Center on campus, and 100 Mount Carmel students volunteered their time to help make the event run smoothly.  More importantly, the Mount Carmel volunteers helped create a positive and fun atmosphere for the Special Olympics athletes and their families.

            Sixteen agencies within the Special Olympics network participated and made up nineteen volleyball teams, with another 100 individual athletes participating in a skills competition.  The Mount Carmel volunteers welcomed the participants with open arms, helped warm up the athletes, were group leaders, ran tests and recorded skills competency, officiated the volleyball games, and cheered on the athletes, creating a fun and competitive environment.  They were also responsible for passing out lunches, as well as distributing awards recognizing accomplishment among the athletes. 

            Mount Carmel volunteer and Guidance Counselor, Julie Ryan stated, “I saw a side of our students that I never saw before.  They really embraced the opportunity and were extremely energetic the whole day.  It was neat to see our kids in that environment.”

            Henaghan said, “The students were phenomenal, really nice, polite, and enthusiastic.  I was impressed with how many had previous contact with people who have disabilities.”

            One of the main goals of the organizers is to present all the athletes with an opportunity to experience participation and success.  In so doing, such great motivation presented the Mount Carmel students with a great opportunity of experiential learning.