By Janet Scarcelli
Achieving dreams is what Special Olympics is all about, but more importantly, it is about achieving those human skills that we all strive for: compassion, understanding, sportsmanship and acceptance.
Special Olympics West Virginia (SOWV) was founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports. This belief follows the idea that consistent training is indispensable to the development of sports skills and competition among those with equal abilities is the most appropriate means of testing these skills, measuring progress and providing incentives for personal growth. SOWV believes that through sports training and competition, people with intellectual disabilities benefit physically, mentally, socially and spiritually; families are strengthened and the community at large, both through participation and observation, is united in an understanding of people with intellectual challenges in an environment of equality, respect and acceptance.
This summer, from July 25 to August 2, more than 7,000 athletes from 177 countries will come together in Los Angeles, CA to compete in 25 sports for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. To celebrate, people throughout the nation will carry the Special Olympics Flame of Hope across the country over the course of 46 days in a hand-to-hand exchange to deliver it to Los Angeles for the event.
The Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for America to unite to build communities of respect and inclusion. The Unified Relay will be three simultaneous routes originating in Augusta, Maine, Washington, D.C. and Miami, FL beginning May 26. The event will reach all 50 states before ending in Los Angeles, CA on July 10. Every runner, walker, biker or roller is provided the opportunity to participate and carry the torch in support of Special Olympics’ athletes.
The West Virginia leg of the Relay will begin on May 31, 2015 when the Flame of Hope enters Princeton, WV from Virginia. On June 1, the relay will leave Princeton and travel into Charleston where a community celebration will be hosted at the Appalachian Power Park. On June 2, the relay will leave Charleston and travel to Huntington and into Kentucky.
Anyone can be a torchbearer. More than 20,000 runners, walkers, rollers and bikers will help deliver the Flame of Hope. Each leg of the relay will be divided into half-mile segments to run, walk or roll and five-mile segments to bike.
To get involved, community members can form teams of one to 15 people. There is a $10 per-person sign-up fee, and the relay encourages fundraising goals per segment for the teams. Funds raised from the Unified Relay will go to Special Olympics to provide sports training and competition opportunities and additional programming that empower people with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of their communities, which leads to a more respectful and inclusive society for all.
To learn more about the Unified Relay Across America or to register yourself or a team, visit www.unifiedrelay.org. To learn more about Special Olympics West Virginia, to donate or to volunteer, go to www.sowv.org.
About the Author
Janet Scarcelli is a native of West Virginia and has been a Special Olympics West Virginia volunteer since 1981, predominately as part of the Winter Games Management Team. Her passion for Special Olympics comes from seeing the achievements of people with intellectual disabilities through participation in experiences and relationships they may not otherwise have been offered.
