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Have you ever witnessed a stranger perform a gesture so simple yet impactful that it left a lasting impression on you? I’d like to introduce you to “Johnny the Bagger” and his story.

Why is such a simple act of kindness by Johnny so embraced?  Deep down, we all want to be accepted and feel we’re serving a purpose in the world.  Unfortunately, the vast majority lack confidence or allow the fear of failure or societal pressures to prevent us from ever living out our true purpose. Johnny doesn’t succumb to that fear.

I have an older brother named Rick, who has intellectual disabilities much like Johnny. As a kid, having a brother like Rick made me extremely angry and afraid.  Angry that he couldn’t shoot pucks in the garage or ride bikes around the neighborhood like a “normal” big brother.  Angry we couldn’t go out to dinner like so many other families for fear that Rick might throw a tantrum in the restaurant if it were too noisy.  Afraid that my friends wouldn’t want to hang out or would stare or make fun of him.  Afraid that a girl would never want to date a guy like me.  Afraid to leave him alone on a playground for the fear of the verbal abuse and laughing he would be confronted with.

By virtue of my brother’s participation as a Special Olympics athlete, the anger and fear are now gone and have been replaced by thoughts of inspiration and hope.  It took me awhile to realize that I was fighting against a form of ignorance and fear from a society that simply did not understand how to deal with people like my brother and what they might learn from him.

Thankfully, there are organizations like the Special Olympics that understand the nuances that challenge a family structure like mine. They understand why inclusion and self-confidence are vitally important for the intellectually disabled to feel truly accepted in society.  Their mission goes beyond serving people like my brother and his family members; they also introduce the many people who are unfamiliar with developmental disabilities to the inspiring people throughout the world who live their best lives in spite of their disabilities.

It may sound strange if you haven’t interacted much with someone like my brother, but there is a chance you could be missing out on an extremely important aspect of life and a key ingredient to a fully-integrated community.  One my favorite programs, called “Project Unify”, was created to blend athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to engage in athletic competition. Programs like these help us understand and accept each other’s strengths and differences. 500,000 people worldwide now take part in this program, and it’s breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way.

For these reasons, I recently chose to join the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Minnesota.  As part of my commitment, I accepted the opportunity to take the “Polar Plunge” at Lake Calhoun on March 5 and pledged to raise $10,000 for the organization. Monies raised at the event provide athletes much like my brother the chance to find their confidence and experience inclusion through team competition.

I am proud to be a part of Special Olympics Minnesota, and I hope you will consider spreading their message of inclusion and awareness. The world could learn a lot from people like Johnny and Rick.

Jamie Spencer, Special Olympics Advocate
Vice President, New Business Development & Assistant to the Chairman
Minnesota Wild

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As a teacher at the high school level I know how sports can help to build community, self-worth, and leadership for the participants as well as the fans. My wife and I have seen how important sports have been to our son Travis, as he went through school as a participant in adapted softball. We also saw his passion while cheering on the various football and basketball teams we attend with him when he was a student at Buffalo High School and a fervent fan of the Buffalo Bisons. Now as an adult Travis and his housemates at Hammer have been taking part in the Special Olympic events.

Special Olympics Minnesota was founded in 1973 as part of the parent organization. It got its start back in the 1950s and 1960s, as a result of the efforts of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who started a summer day camp for children with intellectual challenges that grew to become the foundation for the Special Olympics. In Minnesota there are more than 7,800 Special Olympics athletes currently taking part in the 92 competitions that Special Olympics Minnesota hosts, with a supporting staff of over 7,000 volunteer coaches.

Beyond the actual opportunities to engage in sports, there are a variety of programs that Special Olympics provides. They include the Athlete Leadership Programs, Healthy Athletes, Healthy Communities, Young Athletes Programs, R-Word Campaign, Youth Activation Committee, Special Olympics Unified Sports, and the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Learn more about the Special Olympics:
www.specialolympics.org/Regions/north-america/Locations/Special-Olympics-NA-Minnesota.aspx

Special Olympics events have played a big role in our son’s life, as well as about 200 people that Hammer serves who are involved in Special Olympics Minnesota. Our son’s most recent involvement in Special Olympics was a bowling event that took place at the Brunswick Zone in Brooklyn Center.

Whether able to throw the ball independently or using assistive devices to help with the trajectory of the ball on its way down the alley, each participant was excited, engaged and rooted for one another over the weeks that the games took place. On the final Sunday of the games each of the players received medals based on their cumulative scores, and every player was honored at the individual team ceremonies.

The culminating event was a lasagna dinner at Richfield High School held for all the bowlers, the staff, and the families of the athletes.  Afterwards, the Richfield Lions, who help to support Special Olympics Minnesota, had a special Color Guard presentation in the Richfield High School auditorium followed by a very entertaining magic show and a dance.

One of the things that was most evident throughout the entire event was the incredible amount of socialization that took place among the bowlers in particular, regardless of what team they belonged to or what level of award that they received. There was an amazing sense of camaraderie and belonging that evening and that was truly heartwarming.

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