Special Olympics Michigan celebrates 50 years of summer games May 31- June 2
Special Olympics Michigan is celebrating half of a century of providing happiness, confidence and fulfillment to its athletes during its 50th anniversary summer games May 31- June 2 at Central Michigan University.
The first international Special Olympic summer games took place at Chicago's Soldier Field in July 1968. The event was due largely to the work of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy.
Shriver was the driving force behind JFK's White House panel on people with disabilities. She was upset by the unfair treatment of people with intellectual disabilities and the lack of places for children with disabilities to participate in sports. In 1962, she held a summer camp at her home in Washington, D.C. for young people with intellectual disabilities. Eventually, that program grew into the Special Olympics summer games.
This year, more than 2,900 athletes from 83 counties in Michigan will spend the weekend at CMU to participate in the games.
Senior director of marketing and communications Aaron Mills said this year will be a much more "fantastic" experience for both athletes and spectators.
"We want to celebrate the past 50 years of the games while looking forward to what we plan to accomplish in the next 50 years," Mills said.
The opening parade of athletes will kick off the weekend at Kelly Shorts stadium, complete with a ceremonial flyover from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. Athlete Richard Hess, who participated in the 1968 Special Olympics, is grand marshal and will lead the nearly 3,000 athletes in the parade.
Hess will also act as co-emcee of the games' closing ceremony, alongside WKYZ-TV reporter Ann Marie Laflamme. Providing the closing ceremony's musical entertainment is the rock band Jedi Mind Trip.
Throughout the weekend, athletes will be competing in the ten types of competition that are offered at the state summer games each year. These will include athletics, bocce, bowling, gymnastics, horseshoes, power lifting, swimming, weightlifting, volleyball, developmental athletics and the motor activities training program.
For a complete schedule of the weekend, visit the Special Olympics Michigan website.
