Valerie, a member of the Melmark Special Olympics Swim Team, recently traveled to Princeton NJ and competed among 3,500 of the best Special Olympic athletes in the country for a once in a lifetime experience. She proudly brought home the gold in two events. Valerie lives in Ridley Park, in Delaware County and participates in day programs at Melmark, including the Melmark Aquatics Program.
During competitions at the Special Olympics USA Games held in Princeton, NJ June 14th – 21st, Valerie won:
Gold - 4x25 Freestyle Relay Gold - 25 Yd. Freestyle
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Bronze - 25 Yd. Backstroke 4th Place - 4x25 Medley Relay
Valerie’s family and community are extremely proud of all the hard work she put into preparing for competitions. She was event recognized by the Delaware County Council, where she received an award on July 2nd.
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Valerie practiced regularly in Melmark’s indoor and outdoor pools to prepare for the Special Olympics. “I could not be more proud of Val. It is not a surprise she did so well because of all the hard work and dedication she put into training. All of our athletes thrive by building off their abilities instead of focusing on their disabilities,” said Tyler Dykes, Coach of the Melmark Special Olympics Swim Team.
Valerie is an active member of Melmark’s Adult Day Program. She is a member of the Country Garden Guild, where she works alongside other adults with intellectual disabilities in their own arts guild. The Country Garden Guild is a self sufficient business where the clients grow, harvest, arrange and sell dried flower arrangements and other crafts. Members are shareholders and are paid based on productivity and work ethic.
Valerie is also an actress with the Melmark Players, an acting troupe, where she most recently performed vignettes from The Lion King. Valerie and the rest of the cast performed in five shows during a weeklong run of this Broadway favorite. Along with being an actress, Valerie shares her musical talents by performing with Melmark’s bell choir, The Joybells. The members use a variety of hand bells, chimes and percussion instruments for their selections of sacred, classical, popular and patriotic music. She took a trip to South Philadelphia and performed with The Joybells this past spring to a crowd of over 40,000 Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park.
Melmark, based in Berwyn, PA and with a location in Andover, MA, provides residential, educational, vocational and therapeutic services for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries and other neurological and genetic disorders. Melmark’s programs and services are offered in an environment of warmth, care and respect. To learn more, visit www.melmark.org .
