On Tuesday, April 15, SPSG welcomed Jim Schmutz, President and CEO of Maryland’s Special Olympics, along with Special Olympics athlete Annu Singleton to their morning assembly. The program was facilitated by the Students for Disabilities Awareness Club, which aims to increase awareness, visibility and discourse about physical and intellectual disabilities within the St. Paul’s Community.
Special Olympics is a worldwide organization whose mission is to “provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing 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,” according to their website.
Mr. Schmutz began by describing some of the greatest challenges for those living with intellectual disabilities, specifically the ways in which their health and wellness is often ignored by medical professionals, resulting in a shortened lifespan and increased risk for heart problems, diabetes and obesity. He then went on to share how providing an outlet for intellectually disabled individuals to participate in sports is an effective solution to many of these problems, which Special Olympics aims facilitate.
Special Olympics provides athletic training, hosts Olympic events and plans sports games for individuals with intellectual disabilities. They cover a wide range of sports, such as pickleball, golf, ice skating, skiing, soccer, baseball, football and more. Their teams consist of individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, creating an environment in which people of all abilities and walks of life are able to play together, communicate with each other and get to know one another. Mr. Schmutz believes that this will create a more compassionate, just and caring world for everyone.
Annu Singleton, a 36-year-old Special Olympics athlete who joined Jim Schmutz at the presentation on Tuesday, also spoke of his experience with the organization. Singleton has been participating in Special Olympics since he was nine-years-old and has played 18 sports during his time there, including: Track and Field, Speed Skating, Skiing, Bowling, Bocce, Swimming, Basketball, Equestrian, Kayaking, Sailing, Soccer, Long Distance Running, Snowshoeing, Dance, Cheerleading, Volleyball, Flag Football and Golf.
He spoke about how Special Olympics has helped him realize his passion for sports and wellness, as well as given him an outlet to have fun with others both with and without intellectual disabilities. In his bio on the Special Olympics website, Singleton said that he “had a rough childhood, being seperated from my mom and sister and living with foster parents and in a homeless shelter all before I was 20. We don’t get to choose our childhood. But my childhood isn’t the story of my life. The story of my life is what I have done every day since my childhood. That includes taking care of physical health as well as my mental health.” Annu Singleton wants to start a podcast discussing how fitness has helped him to overcome some of his challenges and inspiring others to do the same.
Schmutz and Singleton spoke in a Q&A format, with Singleton going off-script many times to poke fun at the CEO. Sharing his nicknames for Schmutz (“Slim Jim”), his confusion over “why his face looks like that,” and teasing him over the sound of his name, Annu Singleton had the entire crowd laughing hysterically during Prayers. At the end of the presentation, Singleton said that he “wants people to get to know him for who he is, not just as someone with a disability.”
Students for Disability Awareness Club thanked Singleton and Schmutz for speaking to SPSG, sharing how students can get involved with Special Olympics through volunteering. Living up to their mission, the club brought greater understanding and awareness to the SPSG community.
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