Docks and Jocks .... And the Joy They Bring!

So, this blog comes a bit late after having some issues with posting. I hope y'all think it's worth the wait!

This year I had the absolute pleasure of volunteering at the Minnesota Special Olympic Summer Games. As I’m sure most of you know, Stillwater was honored to host the games this year for the first time. Due to construction and other factors at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where the games are typically held, a change needed to be made this year. Stillwater was happy to step in to make this change and, if I may add, from an admittedly biased opinion, did so extremely well.

If you are like me up until my time spent volunteering, and have never attended a Special Olympics event, I’ll give you a little run-down of what it’s all about and the various ways to get involved.

The games took place at SAHS with plenty of room for heats, trials, and laughs. Of what I gather from the athletes and family members I spent time with, this was a major improvement from the University.

Most all angles of the games were staffed by volunteers from different organizations, many of them local, to create an extremely positive experience for the athletes.

To list all of the organizations which came together across the St. Croix Valley and Minnesota as a whole would be a lengthy process, though recognition is more than deserved. For a list of select sponsors and more information on the games, follow the link below:

http://www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/Summer_Games.php

The Special Olympic Summer Games is the perfect example of how a community can come together to accomplish immensely incredible things. The collaboration involved in making the games a success absolutely astounded me. It’s clear the Special Olympics institution is a well-oiled machine, and seeing various organizations intertwining, joining forces for a common goal, was enough to give this little idealist chills. 

On the Saturday of the games, I made my own, small contribution to this enormous operation by volunteering in the Let’s Go Fishing booth, making this blog a two-for-one, and a little bit longer than usual for good reason. The Stillwater branch of Let’s Go Fishing leads about 18 fishing trips per week for people with physical or developmental disabilities, veterans, military members and families, intergenerational youth and seniors. Last year, around 900 people benefited from their services. This year, they plan to break 2,000.

Those are some crazy numbers, folks, and they happen for a reason. 

To say the boat rides were a hit at the games would be quite an understatement. Trips were added throughout the weekend in attempts to meet the extremely high demand, and still were filled rapidly. Let’s Go Fishing totaled 342 excited passengers between 32 excursions on the St. Croix River. These incredible numbers were made possible by Let’s Go Fishing, including Founder Joe Holm, Volunteer Coordinator and my booth buddy Bob Bailey, Chapter President Karin Housley and 40 other generous volunteers. 

Again, even within this one aspect of the games, Stillwater collaborated on many levels to make the excursions and smiles happen in a big way. St. Croix Boat and Packet provided dock usage, the City of Stillwater reserved parking, and Minnesota Central supplied a shuttle to-and-from the games and the docks. 

Sometimes, I get overwhelmed trying to coordinate a time to gather a group of my friends for lunch. Again, so much appreciation and admiration for this community’s collaboration. 

I still get a little bit giddy and a quite a bit proud when I reflect on my time spent at the Special Olympics. Seeing the smiles of the athletes, and knowing you had a tiny part in putting it there, is truly remarkable. 

If you’ve read this whole thing (and yikes, it got lengthy), thank you. If you had any part in making the games successful, thank you. And if you take away one thing from this blog, let it be this: Mark your calendars for next summer’s games now, you do not want to miss it. 

Information on the Stillwater chapter of Let’s Go Fishing and ways to get involved can be found at:

http://www.letsgofishingstillwater.com/Lets_Go_Fishing/index.php