UMW dining employee wins silver medal at Special Olympics

The University of Mary Washington (UMW) will be holding a celebratory rally for Grace Anne Braxton on Thursday, April 11. Braxton, a long-time campus dining employee, recently won a silver medal in golf at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dabi.

Ball Circle by the University Center

University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA

4:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m.

Best photo opportunities: 4:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Braxton is a huge supporter of the University's athletic teams and attends every basketball game. She has worked for Sodexo, dining partner at UMW, for more than 24 years.

"Grace Anne is truly amazing,” said Campus Dining Marketing Manager Rose Benedict. “She excels in many sports, but more importantly, she shows tremendous grace and kindness to everyone in our university community. We are fortunate to have her on our campus dining team and we’re very pleased that we have this opportunity to show Grace Anne how much she means to us.”

Braxton started training in track and field when she was eight years old but made a name for herself in swimming and golf. In 1991 she won a gold medal in swimming at the Special Olympic World Summer games. She then switched sports and won a gold medal in golf at the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Shanghai, China. She took home the gold in golf again at the Special Olympic World Summer Games in Athens, Greece in 2011.

For more information contact Rose Benedict, 540-847-7944, or Rosetta.Benedict@Sodexo.com