Airmen help make local Special Olympics one to remember

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shawna L. Keyes
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Team Seymour members volunteered for the second quarter Special Olympics March 15, 2014, in Smithfield, N.C.

During the event more than 70 volunteers from Seymour Johnson helped facilitate the event for 600 North Carolina athletes.

"I'm glad the base has a huge group that comes out to support this event," said Airman 1st Class Sheng Morris, 4th Contracting Squadron contract specialist. "It's very rewarding to know that being a volunteer has an impact on our community."

The competition manager at Smithfield Middle school, Ken Maxwell, also thanked Team Seymour members who volunteered at the event Saturday.

"The volunteers went above and beyond," said Maxwell. "Ensuring the competition ran as smoothly and efficiently as possible for all of the athletes."

The Special Olympics in Smithfield featured basketball tournaments along with individual skills competitions, including dribbling, shooting and passing stations. Each section had a volunteer and an assistant to help organize participants.

Senior Airman Damyan Jackson, 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operator and volunteer coordinator, attributed his desire for helping at Special Olympics events to having a relative with special needs.

"Growing up with an older brother who has Asperger's syndrome gave me a passion for volunteering for people with special needs," said Jackson.

Volunteers from the base also expressed their satisfaction to brighten the day of the participants.

"I had a lot of fun helping at the game stations where you get to see the different skill levels and just how happy the they are," said Morris. "A little smile can make a huge difference and it makes me happy to know I helped put that smile on an athlete's face."

The Special Olympics first began in the 1950s and early 1960s, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver held a summer day camp for young people with intellectual disabilities in her own backyard. Shriver's commitment eventually led to the development of the Special Olympics movement.