Giving special assistance

To the editor:
“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” — Oath of Special Olympics athletes.
Special Olympics Indiana is a not-for-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in more than 20 Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, reaching nearly 11,000 athletes across Indiana. Special Olympics Indiana and Jay County Special Olympics is part of the international network of accredited Special Olympics Programs that reaches more than 2.8 million athletes with intellectual disabilities worldwide.
Jay County Special Olympics offers bowling, basketball, horseshoes, equestrian, golf, bocce, track and field to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  
By offering these sports our athletes are provided opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
When Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) and Special Olympics Indiana announced a partnership for ongoing activities between the athletes from both organizations intended to foster mutually beneficial learning experiences for years to come, we did not know what to expect.
We soon learned that it was a perfect fit for everyone, thanks to the incredible effort of Jay County High School senior Alex Dunn.  Alex is an exceptional young man who coordinated a special evening for Special Olympics at the Feb 19 JCHS boys basketball game.  
He and several students helped to honor the three Jay County Special Olympics basketball teams at the high school to a near packed crowd.  Alex and his fellow athletes also helped raise close to $1,500 for Jay County Special Olympics and the National Games Indiana Team.
We would be amiss if we failed to mention the kindness of his parents towards Jay County’s special athletes.  Dr Tom and Rita Dunn purchased t-shirts for all the athletes with the Special Olympics motto on the back.  We appreciate their generosity and welcome them as friends to Special Olympics.
Alex’s momentum took him from the high school to East Elementary to help with Special Olympics basketball practice. The team has welcomed Alex and his friends with open arms and open hearts.  Alex has brought new energy to the practices and it shows on the faces of everyone involved.  Today, Alex may be a student leader but there is no doubt in our minds and hearts that this extraordinary young man will be one of Indiana’s leaders.
On behalf of the Jay County Special Olympics we would to thank Alex Dunn, Jay County High School students, IHSSA, JCHS Student Council, Athletic Director, JCHS Freshman Academy and all of Jay County for supporting the basketball team and Special Olympics
Specially yours,
Peggy Atkinson, for the Jay County Special Olympics Management Team

Bad shape
To the editor:
I can’t believe what our politicians are trying to do.
The shape our country is in is not the people’s fault. Our government takes and spends it. They are not good investors.
One thing they could do is like they do our teachers, military and mail delivery.
They work 20 or 25 years then new personnel go to work with less pay. We have judges, Senators and Congressmen that are in their 80s making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Don’t make sense.
Cutting our military is stupid. I remember that in the 1950s the U.S.A. was the No. 1 power in the world. Today we are down on the list.
If our politicians can’t do their job and quit their fussing like a bunch of kids, we need to get rid of them somehow.
I once was a party man. Now, I don’t like either.
We need to put all hope in God’s hands. God bless America.
Richard L. Haffner
Portland

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