Advocating those with Special Needs was something that
meant a lot to me. Why? Because intellectually challenged individuals inspire
me and I wanted to be able to give back what I could to them. With that being
said, I chose to serve this community by helping with Special Olympics Utah. This
was one of the most moving things I have done. Being able to watch those that
tend to struggle in so many aspects of life, be able to succeed and be proud of
that, is truly amazing. I would highly recommend serving in this aspect to
anyone!
I initial was motivated by this because I wanted to gain
experience in something that I want to do for a career. I do not want to work
for Special Olympics, but I want to work with special needs adults. There are
many opportunities to serve those with special needs while they are young or
still in school. However, I feel like the adult crowd seems to be one that is
forgotten many times. What happens to these great children after they grow up?
Many of them do not have strong family influences and need something to do.
That is where places like TURN and Chrysalis come into play. They are there to
provide services for individuals that need help in all aspects from day to day
functions to shopping or even fun activities.
When I graduate from college, I want to be what is called
a Support Coordinator for those with intellectual disabilities. In essence,
that is a social worker for them. They work hard at getting money from the
state so that these individuals can have the services they need in their life
to continue living. They work with them individually to set goals in their own
life to improve and become better each and every day. I would love to do this
in the future because it is helping that “forgotten” community.
Therefore, my EDGE project was designed to focus my
efforts on the adult community and helping them to feel like they have succeeded
in life. That is why I chose Special Olympics Utah. I volunteered my time
through TURN Community Services. I was able to become a coach by taking an
online class to learn about the safety of the sports. Then, I was able to
organize and run many practices for the clients. I was able to help them learn
how to run as fast as they could while competing in the 25, 50 and 100 meter
walk and run. We also had a relay team that was fun to help train. I also
helped them with their shot put or tennis ball through along with standing long
jumps.
After all of the practices, we were able to go to
regional and state competition. This is where I really was able to see their
hard work paid off. I was able to witness them succeed at something that they
put a lot of time and effort into. Even though they were not perfect at their
event, they tried their hardest and that was good enough. They were proud of
their efforts and knew that they had fun while competing. In return, they were
all able to get medals or ribbons which they hang all over their walls in their
own homes.
I was also able to go to Harmon’s with some of the
clients to perform a fundraiser for Special Olympics. It was so great to see
them interact with the community and feel like they were normal people.
Watching the community interact with them was great as well. Some people were
so kind and willing to talk with them and treat them just like everyone else.
They earned a lot of money and they were so proud of that.
My outcome was such a great experience overall. I feel
like I completed my goal as I was able to learn and interact with so many
individuals and really help them to feel like they can succeed. I loved
learning more about them and any behaviors they may have. I also was able to
have lots of time being inspired by being around them and watch their fun and
loving attitudes. As I learned more about them and their individual stories, I
had a greater desire to serve them and other individuals like them. I know now
that choosing a career in this field is something that I need to do. I need to
give my time to helping this community in any way that I can.
I had to gain some new skills while working with this
group. I had to learn how to be more upbeat and positive because if I wasn’t,
they weren’t going to be either. I also had to learn how redirect and try
presenting things in simpler terms. It is really hard trying to explain how to
run faster in terms that they could understand but after much practice, I was
able to do so. It was so rewarding for myself once I saw them understand what I
was saying. I also had to grow in my patience.
I think Southern Utah University chose to make this a
requirement because they understand the importance of gaining experience in the
real world. That is what the name is after all, Education Designed to Give
Experience. We can go to school and try to learn through books and studying,
but nothing compares to real life hands on experience that you can gain from
doing something like an EDGE project. Even though it takes a lot of time, it is
worth it. I feel like I am more ready to enter the work force when I graduate
because I gained the experience needed from doing an EDGE Project.
