The Rice Memorial High School Cafeteria is usually bustling with the noise of high school students waiting in line to get lunch, sitting at tables eating their lunch, or chatting away with friends. On this Saturday morning, it was filled with a few energetic 2-7 year olds, their parents, and twelve Rice students. The young kids were participating in the Young Athlete Program through Vermont Special Olympics. When a lot of high school students were probably sleeping in, twelve Rice Students showed up at their school to work with the Young Athlete Program. Caitlin Jenkins from Vermont Special Olympics organizes the YAP program and coordinates with Rice to find mentors to help out. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk to Paul Difalco, a math teacher at Rice, who gave his Saturday morning up to come and unlock the doors and monitor the students as they organized and ran the program. According to Difalco, Rice … [Read more...]
Vermont Adaptive Sports and Ski at Sugarbush Resort
It was a balmy day to start Kayla out on skis for the for the first time this season. We were a bit delayed due to her ankle injury, but she was just recently cleared by her orthopedic doctor to begin skiing. I got online and booked four lessons through Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, requesting her favorite instructor, Shasta! Vermont Adaptive Ski program has to be the best adaptive program we have come across. They run programs at Bolton, Sugarbush, Killington, and Pico. All the instructors volunteer their time to help individuals with physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities learn how to ski. The staff is patient, flexible, and extremely creative with adapting skiing so people with special needs can experience the joy of skiing. From the ease of signing up for lessons online, to confirmation of lessons and communication between the parent and the director, Olivia, it all runs so smoothly. This is Kayla’s second year … [Read more...]
Getting Ready For The Plunge with Special Olympics Vermont
Lake Champlain has not frozen over and the current temperature is a balmy 38 degrees! It probably won't get any warmer as 1000 plus individuals take the "Penguin Plunge" to help raise money for Special Olympics Vermont on February 6th. This is one of the top fund raisers for the organization bringing in over $410,000 for Special Olympics Vermont. This is just under 40% of their operating budget so it's hugely important for sustaining and growing their programs. Special Olympics of Vermont is an incredible program that allows individuals of all ages and disabilities to participate in recreational activities. It fosters athletic skills, team work, and independence for all the athletes. Their Young Athlete Program begins at the age of 2 and allows children with and without disabilities to participate in organized sports and develop their skills. It is a remarkable program that gets children interested in being active at a young … [Read more...]
Ice Time at UVM
To most parents, bringing their kids ice-skating for the first time is pretty exciting. Whether the child holds on to the side of the rink, holds on to a parent's hand, or pushes a crate, the child usually can figure out how to stabilize themselves on skates. They might tumble on the ice, but they figure out how to get up and try again until they master the art of skating. This is not the case with Kayla. Due to the instability of her legs, low muscle tone, and poor coordination, Kayla cannot skate at this point in her life. We have never stepped foot on an ice rink. The closest Kayla has come to the ice is riding the zamboni with Mike at UVM. Maybe that is why she loves it, because she is close to the ice. The UVM hockey team had two games against BU this past weekend. On Saturday, one of the team members mentioned to Kayla that she could skate around with the team after the game on Sunday. Kayla was all excited to go out … [Read more...]
STAR Basketball and the Dynamic Duo
STAR Basketball continues for the second week in a row. All the kids and mentors are on the court shooting, passing, dribbling, or just running around. But there are two kids that stand out: Daniel Feitelberg and Mitch. I have been coming to this program since it began and Kayla was 3 years old and so have Daniel and Mitch. But Mitch isn't holding a ball or throwing a ball. He is in his upright walker running around the entire gym for almost the entire time, with his mentor, Daniel following right behind. Mitch is a 5th grader at Central School in South Burlington and Daniel is a Sophomore at South Burlington High School. Although matched up 4 years ago through STAR basketball, Daniel was Mitch's bus buddy when Mitch was entering kindergarten. These two have developed an amazing connection throughout the years. When I was walking with them, Daniel would tell Mitch to keep moving and Mitch would break out in this huge grin … [Read more...]