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DeVos is planning on cutting funding for Special Olympics in her new school budget. As a certified coach for Special Olympics, nothing pisses me off (I don't care if you consider that cussing) that these deserving folks will lose a program that is essential to their physical, emotional and social well-being.
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit that provided and environment for folks with disabilities to be able to participate in both team and individual sports. 5 million people with special needs participate world-wide. $18 million dollars of the national budget has been set aside for Special Olympics, set up in the public education system's budget. Even with such a budget, local chapters still have to do a majority of their own fundraising and state chapters provide training for coaches, limited equipment resources and help out with field/court rentals. Many (not all) SO offices are located in a local public high school. Funding for SO at the national level provides grants to assist in travel, transportation as well as space rental.
Very few employees are hired by Special Olympics (our entire county has just one employee with almost 2000 participating athletes) so the majority of "employees" are volunteers.
Many of the athletes live in group homes and this is their only opportunity outside their facility each week. Some, the only "vacation travel" they get is to go to Raleigh to spend two nights at the state games. THIS IS THEIR EVERYTHING that they look forward too every year.
Special Olympics provides emotional support not only to the athlete, but caregivers who can "take a break" for 1-2 hours a week away from their special needs loved one. For the athletes, it creates important community while providing sportsmanship, cooperation, strategy and even teaches athletes how to "lose" with grace. Participation makes the athletes feel human and accepted. To see their faces light up when I talk to them shows that they don't get the "average" human interaction they need to feel as important as they are. This program is vital to so many people with these disabilities and yet DeVos wants to cut all that out. Once again, the Trump administration deals a blow to the "down and out" in this country, telling them how unloved and undeserving they are.
The longer this administration keeps going, the further away from the heart of God the Predator-in-Chief is pulling folks, particularly "Christian" folks, away from the heart of God.
So you preachers, go on with your religious cosplay and defy the God who loves the marginalized. Go ahead and criticize me, I don't care.
I've had enough of your so-called Christianity and support for the evil that keeps growing in the Oval Office, that does everything in its power to take from the marginalized to further financially strengthen the wealthy.
As a follower of Jesus and as a coach in 3 sports for Special Olympic athletes, I take this personally and give a huge middle-finger salute to the Predator-in-Chief along with his political allies who support his destructive behaviors to the poor and marginalized.
Special Olympics is an international nonprofit that provided and environment for folks with disabilities to be able to participate in both team and individual sports. 5 million people with special needs participate world-wide. $18 million dollars of the national budget has been set aside for Special Olympics, set up in the public education system's budget. Even with such a budget, local chapters still have to do a majority of their own fundraising and state chapters provide training for coaches, limited equipment resources and help out with field/court rentals. Many (not all) SO offices are located in a local public high school. Funding for SO at the national level provides grants to assist in travel, transportation as well as space rental.
Very few employees are hired by Special Olympics (our entire county has just one employee with almost 2000 participating athletes) so the majority of "employees" are volunteers.
Many of the athletes live in group homes and this is their only opportunity outside their facility each week. Some, the only "vacation travel" they get is to go to Raleigh to spend two nights at the state games. THIS IS THEIR EVERYTHING that they look forward too every year.
Special Olympics provides emotional support not only to the athlete, but caregivers who can "take a break" for 1-2 hours a week away from their special needs loved one. For the athletes, it creates important community while providing sportsmanship, cooperation, strategy and even teaches athletes how to "lose" with grace. Participation makes the athletes feel human and accepted. To see their faces light up when I talk to them shows that they don't get the "average" human interaction they need to feel as important as they are. This program is vital to so many people with these disabilities and yet DeVos wants to cut all that out. Once again, the Trump administration deals a blow to the "down and out" in this country, telling them how unloved and undeserving they are.
The longer this administration keeps going, the further away from the heart of God the Predator-in-Chief is pulling folks, particularly "Christian" folks, away from the heart of God.
So you preachers, go on with your religious cosplay and defy the God who loves the marginalized. Go ahead and criticize me, I don't care.
I've had enough of your so-called Christianity and support for the evil that keeps growing in the Oval Office, that does everything in its power to take from the marginalized to further financially strengthen the wealthy.
As a follower of Jesus and as a coach in 3 sports for Special Olympic athletes, I take this personally and give a huge middle-finger salute to the Predator-in-Chief along with his political allies who support his destructive behaviors to the poor and marginalized.
