A not-for-profit organization offers an event for area athletes this weekend. Special Olympics Illinois began in 1968 in Chicago at Soldier Field. Eighteen areas in Illinois participate each year and involve over 22,000 athletes with disabilities. The Southwestern Area 12 includes the counties of Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Fayette, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, St. Clair and Washington. The Annual Spring Games take place this Saturday. Athletes will compete in track and field events such as the shot put, high jump, tennis and softball throw, 50 meter to 1,500 meter runs and wheelchair competitions. Special Olympics Illinois Regional Director Linda Wunder says this Saturday's event is their largest competition of the year with over five hundred athletes competing.

"It's a huge event for our athletes. A lot of them may not compete in other competitions throughout the year, but Spring Games is always a big, festive event where we have the competition, there's a lot of comradery, they see their friends from different agencies that they haven't maybe seen for the rest of the year, as well as it being a qualifying event for our Summer Games. It's, all in all, a large event and I think anyone that comes out and has an opportunity to actually see the competition will come back and either want to volunteer or come back and watch one of our other competitions throughout the year."

To find out more about volunteering with Special Olympics, you can go to the website: soill.org The Annual Spring Games begin with the Opening Ceremony at 9:15am on Saturday at Korte Stadium at the Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.
Thomack 4/29/15