Many students at Oakton are involved in Special Olympics. Whether it be as a coach or athlete, these students are promoting inclusion at the community, state, and even global level. Each Special Olympics program Oakton has, basketball, track and field, and swimming, encourages all Oakton students alike to play united. Athletes demonstrate dedication and achievement in the sports they participate in, surpassing goals and limits they, and others, might not have thought possible.

  Special Olympics allows all of its athletes, a total of 4.7 million globally, to participate in sports within their community. As their mission states, it allows people with intellectual disabilities 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.” All of the Special Olympics athletes at Oakton have and continue to do all of these actions through athletics. In fact, many of them have qualified to compete at the state level at the Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games in June. Three track and field athletes (Savanna Forrest, Edwin Miller, and Melissa Stettner) and six swimming athletes (Nick Donner, Brian Evans, Ethan Lee, Joey Messaros, Katie Nelson, and Teddy Hackemer) qualified to compete in Richmond next month. 1500 athletes in Virginia will compete in one of the six sports, track and field, swimming, tennis, bowling, softball, and bocce, throughout the weekend of the Games.

  Attending the Summer Games is an opportunity that not many are able to take advantage of, and the expenses aren’t fully covered by Special Olympics. Many teams hold fundraisers to raise money to send their team to the meet and pay for the medals, t-shirts, and other expenses that donations to Special Olympics Virginia partially cover. This is where the Oakton community comes into the picture.

  Oakton’s Special Olympics swim and track and field teams are holding a fundraiser at Not Your Average Joe’s in Reston. With this flier, both teams will receive 15% of the purchase on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the month of May. Besides participating in this fundraiser, donating to Special Olympics Virginia, or Special Olympics in general, is another way to make the Summer Games more successful. Any amount is appreciated, and without donations, it is difficult to supply the medals for all of the athletes. To contribute, visit the Special Olympics Virginia website.

  The Summer Games is a rewarding experience for the athletes in the Oakton programs. It allows them to compete at the state level and meet other athletes throughout Virginia, and these fundraisers will help make the Summer Games a huge success with the help of the Oakton community.