From Saturday, June 17th, to Sunday, June 18th, AYLUS Twin Cities volunteered at South View Middle School in Edina, MN, which hosted the 50th Special Olympics Summer Games State Competition, a multi-sport competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities. On both days, the state meet started from about 8 AM to 4 PM, broken into two 4-hour shifts. 13 AYLUS members volunteered at the swimming competition as Awards Assistants, to help line the athletes up for awards, Pool Stagers, to help the athletes check in and find their correct seats in the preparation area, and Pool Escorts, to help the athletes from the preparation area to their pool lanes and back to the locker rooms. It was such a great experience meeting the athletes, as they were so supportive, kind, and dedicated to their sport. It was also affirming that so many people came to cheer on the athletes and show their support for the intellectually disabled community. We really enjoyed volunteering at the competition and would love to be back next year!
Participants (all 4 hours): Jeffery Chen, Curtis Ying, Tony Liu, Karn Kaura, Shayan Farhan, Olivia Peng, Hannabella Li, Thomas Chen, Nyel Uffa, Penny Peng, Jerry Lin, Nicole Lin, Kai Huang
