Creston Special Olympian meets with Congressional delegation
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| Contributed photo Iowa Special Olympics athlete Kyler Prunty of Creston (left) with Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. |
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) athlete Kyler Prunty of Creston, his mother, Vickie Wieck, and SOIA President/CEO Mark Reed met with the entire Iowa Congressional Delegation on March 4.
The three met with Sen. Tom Harkin, Reps. Leonard Bosewell, Tom Latham and Dave Loebsack. They also met with staff members for Sen. Chuck Grassley, Reps. Bruce Braley and Steve King.
The visit was part of the Special Olympics Capitol Hill Day to urge Congressional support for Special Olympics Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations requests and to share with them the accomplishments of Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA).
SOIA was one of 39 Programs participating in this year’s event. Since 2005, Special Olympics athletes have been empowered by the Special Olympics movement to meet with their state members of Congress to share their success, but also their need for support as a person with intellectual disabilities.
Prunty, afflicted with tuberous sclerosis — which causes noncancerous tumors to form in many organs, primarily the brain — has earned more than 150 medals and awards through Special Olympics and has previously lobbied on Capitol Hill for Special Olympics funding. He is also on the Special Olympics Iowa Board of Directors.
Current programs and trends with SOIA were also discussed during the recent meeting.
“We were pleased to personally meet with the entire leadership of Iowa’s Congressional Delegation while we were in Washington,” said SOIA President/CEO Mark Reed. “It is valuable not only for SOIA, but also for those we are meeting with to learn more about Special Olympics Iowa and how our organization is making a positive difference to athletes in every county of Iowa.”
This October, the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004, signed into law by former President George W. Bush, expires and Special Olympics hopes that it will be championed for reauthorization. The Act provides critical funding for Special Olympics sports, education and health programs through the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and State.
Several Special Olympics programs rely on this funding to provide services to athletes and families, including the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes¨ program and several educational programs. Additionally, the Special Olympics Iowa Project UNIFY, the Special Olympics National Youth Activation Demonstration Project, is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
More than 200 million people worldwide have an intellectual disability, making it the largest disability group worldwide. In the state of Iowa, Special Olympics currently serves 11,350 athletes, but could serve 55,000 to 60,000 people with intellectual disabilities in the state.
“Special Olympics programs not only touch the lives of our nearly three million athletes that participate around the world, but our movement also serves as a catalyst for promoting acceptance and inclusion in all communities,” said Special Olympics Chairman and CEO, Timothy Shriver, “Throughout the world and in the United States, people with intellectual disabilities continue to be stereotyped and discriminated against, but through Special Olympics they are empowered to serve as leaders and prove that their abilities outshine their disabilities.”
In 2008, Special Olympics celebrated 40 years of changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through sports, along with building more inclusive and engaged communities around the world.
For more information, visit Special Olympics online at www.specialolympics.org
