Special program for special kids with or without disabilities

BY ABE WINTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

If you’re looking for a special program for children age 2 through 7, here’s one that’s priced right.

It’s called Special Olympics Young Athletes (SOYA), and it is free of charge for those with or without disabilities. The current program has operated for two weeks, on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran Church in White Bear Lake. The current twice-weekly sessions continue through May 8 and will be followed by an eight-week program beginning June 14 on Wednesdays.

Melissa Whitman coordinates SOYA with help of volunteers. A mother of five, including a 7-year-old with autism, she gets tremendous satisfaction from seeing her son take part.

“He loves it and is very excited about today,” Whitman said prior to last Wednesday’s session. “He said he’s very excited to become an athlete.”

What does SOYA hope to instill

in the participants?

“SOYA teaches basic sports skills, such as running, jumping, balance, throwing, and how to be a good teammate to prepare children for Special Olympics team sports after they turn 8,” Whitman said.

“We are hosting SOYA because there are not a lot of affordable programs for children with disabilities in White Bear Lake, and this is a way for Redeemer to be part of our greater community outside of the traditional church role,” Whitman said. She hopes to increase the program to four times a year. “Programming for children with a disability is very expensive,” she added.

The volunteers span a wide range from ages 10 to 65. Some are from other churches, such as St. Stephen Lutheran and Christ the King Lutheran. Parents also help.

Volunteer Mira Stearns, 20, helped at a session last Wednesday.

“I do a lot of volunteering with events like this at the church,” said Stearns, a junior at Metro State. “I love working with kids. After the session we had today, I could tell they were warming up to it.”

Whitman, who is the children, youth and families director for Redeemer Lutheran and youth director for St. Stephen Lutheran, coached Special Olympics for young adults in various sports for six years in Washington (state).

“I celebrate every milestone a child has in Special Olympics,” she said. “The children we serve all have very different abilities, and all of their accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem, are celebrated each week. There is a place for everyone on a team.”

Whitman expects 30-40 children to enroll for the summer program.

“It’s open to all kids,” she said. “They vary in their disabilities, and our goal is to learn basic sports skills and how to work as a team.”

For complete information, go to: specialolympicsminnesota.org

Any child, youth, or adult who would like to volunteer with the Redeemer SOYA program can contact Melissa Whitman at mwhitman@ redeemerwhitebear.org

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