Greene County Hosts Annual Special Olympics
Snow HIll - On Friday, April 25, 2024, Greene County hosted the annual Special Olympics at the Athletic Complex of Greene Central High School. This year Greene County hosted 74 Athletes and 22 Young Athletes. The event has been held for over 30 years and each year the success of the athletes are celebrated by a multitude of people.
Student volunteers from Greene Early College, Greene Central, and Greene County Middle School served as volunteers to assist the athletes as buddies, take pictures, serve lunch, and cheer on the athletes. Community partners also participated in the games helping to provide supplies, volunteer in different areas and as well as cheering on the games.
The games are co-coordinated by Greene County Schools Secondary EC Transition Coordinator Holly Aycock and Greene County Parkes and Recreation Director Mike Anderson. Aycock shared “Our goal each year is to make our Special Olympics Greene Co Spring Games a wonderful day for our athletes. We keep that in mind with everything that we plan and do. If you take time to watch our athletes, you will see them competing in an event, and at the same time, they are cheering for one another. It is humbling to watch how they interact and cheer one another on. We all could learn so much from our athletes.”
Greene County Schools Exceptional Children’s Director Jennifer Gardner shared “Seeing our exceptional students thrive and shine at Special Olympics is a testament to their incredible spirit and determination. We are immensely proud to support them as they showcase their talents and inspire us all.”
Each part of the Greene County Schools Exceptional Children’s program plays an intricate role in the games. They all take part in different activities to make the over all experience a successful one for students and adults. The program planning team includes students, teachers, community volunteers, and members of the recreation program.
Athletes were asked to think of words that described what Special Olympics meant to them. These words were used to create the logo on the backs of the t-shirts this year.
Dr. Frank Creech, Greene County Superintendent of Schools shared “We look forward to The Greene County Special Olympics every year. It is a wonderful opportunity for our Olympians to shine and be cheered on by their family, friends, teachers, and staff.”
The Greene County Games are held each spring at the Greene Central High School Atheltic Complex. For more information or how you can get involved please contact Holly Aycock with Greene County Schools or Mike Anderson with Greene County Parks and Recreation.
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