FILE
Habersham County was at its best Monday when it hosted the Special Olympics for the first time in four years.
All the athletes, volunteers and school personnel came together to put on a spectacular event attended by hundreds of locals cheering on their friends and family members.
It is perhaps the final big event in the county to return for the first time since the pandemic, and it was everything we remembered it to be from 49 previous incarnations since 1970.
We applaud everyone who made this event tremendous for everyone involved.
Special Olympics supports over 5 million athletes, 1 million coaches and volunteers, more than 100,000 competitions each year, and 32 Olympic-type sports through programs in more than 190 countries.
Locally, we are fortunate to not only have high-quality special education teachers and mentors, but we are not far from one of the best resources available to those with special needs.
Extra Special People (ESP) was founded in 1986 in Watkinsville to create a community of support for individuals of all abilities. According to ESP’s web site, Founder Martha Wyllie noticed an unequal amount of opportunities for children with disabilities, beginning ESP as one week of summer camp for only 21 participants. The program now serves more than 500 participants from over 30 counties in Georgia through eight weeks of summer camp, annual after school enrichment programs, and ongoing family support.
ESP serves participants beginning at birth and with no upper age limit, welcoming participants with diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spina Bifida, and many more. For more information on ESP visit: espyouandme.org.
It is good folks like these who operate great programs and give their time and service to the Olympics who make our community truly special.