This weekend, a group of us volunteered for the Special Olympics. We were given a very important task: provide the food. As athletes, we know how important it is to refuel after exercise, so we made sure to encourage all the athletes to eat to their heart’s content. It was touching to see how proud some of the athletes were of their accomplishments. Maybe the most surprising part of the day was the range of age and skill level of the athletes. I talked to a young boy of 8 or 9 who came to get hot chocolate and was sad that he had not placed in one of his events. I also talked to another athlete of at least 35, who had limited speech but was very proud of his ribbons, pointing repeatedly to the visible manifestations of his accomplishments. Even Laura from FOCO was there! Continue reading