KOVAR partnering with Special Olympics

Rick Jeffrey, President of Special Olympics Virginia, addressed the members of Father Robert W. McDonald Council #395 on Monday night, March 21, at the Columbian Center.

Mr. Jeffrey described how Special Olympics is evolving to address the many needs of a person with intellectual disabilities (“ID”) so that they can become more independent and develop a greater sense of self-worth. Special Olympics is expanding their sports component by helping schools develop unified sports teams which include athletes with and without disabilities.

This effort gives the athlete with ID a means to develop friendships and integrate into the life of the school, while at the same time providing role models of healthy children who maintain a proper diet, weight, and blood pressure. The students without ID involved in these programs develop respect for their fellow students with ID, become more tolerant, and learn to advocate for those less fortunate in society.

The past few years, Special Olympics Virginia has invited medical professionals to set up clinics at the University of Richmond Robins Center during the Special Olympics Summer Games. This year Virginians with ID will receive approximately $450,000 worth of dental care, eye examinations and eyeglasses, hearing examinations and hearing aids, and physical examinations during the Special Olympics Summer Games in Richmond.

Annually, KOVAR provides Special Olympics with a $50,000 grant to be used in supporting programs for persons with Intellectual disabilities.