Today@Dal

From Monday's Community Herald:

I have decided to focus on Rebecca Haworth, a graduate of Fall River’s Lockview High School now attending Dalhousie University. She is in her third year and is captain of the varsity track and field team.

We all have things we are passionate about. Sports and helping people with disabilities are two that interest me greatly. Haworth shares this interest. As co-chairwoman of the university’s varsity council, she established the Special Tigers Sports Days.

These special days are a fairly new creation during which children with intellectual disabilities come to campus and participate in numerous sports with Dal’s varsity athletes. The latest was on March 2 at the university’s Dalplex where the children played basketball, baseball, volleyball and a variety of sports.

“This is a free event that partners community youth who have intellectual disabilities with Dal varsity athletes for an afternoon of fun, games and friendship,” explained the articulate organizer.

“This latest one was our fourth, and we had very positive feedback from our young guests, our athletes, parents, Special Olympics Nova Scotia and the Dalhousie administration.”

My dear spouse and I have been involved with Special Olympics for nearly 15 years. It is the best community-based activity we have ever participated in. It has a stickiness component attached to it. Once you get involved, you’re stuck and continue to return to it.

We handle the medals for the provincial Special Olympics and deal with what I call unvarnished human nature. There are no hidden agendas. What you see and hear is so honest and refreshing.

Hats off to people like Rebecca. It’s easy in life to continue to walk the same paths we always have. And it’s fairly simple to conceive ideas and feel that someone somewhere should implement them.

Read the rest of this column at the Chronicle Herald website.