UWO Kinesiology Winter Special Games 2010

The 38th Annual Kinesiology Winter Special Games were held Saturday January 23rd, 2010. The event ran all day in and around Thames Hall, the home of the School of Kinesiology at The University of Western Ontario.

The Winter Special Games (WSG) is an annual community outreach program organized by members of the Kinesiology Students' Council. It consists of a full day of crafts, games, and activities for children with special needs and disabilities and is hosted on campus.

The event is funded by the interest of an alumni donation account in Kinesiology and also largely through the support of the Kinesiology Student Levy Fund.

Participants are children with special needs and disabilities, the majority of whom are registered by teachers in the TVDSB. The special needs/disabilities may be physical or intellectual, and range quite a bit in severity (eg. from mild ADHD to severe autism).

Each registered participant is paired up with a "buddy" who is a student from UWO School of Kinesiology for the day. The "buddy" is there to help his/her participant with the activities and to be his/her friend.

This year we had 60 participants and over 150 volunteers from the School of Kinesiology!!

The day began with opening ceremonies including performances by the Western Marching Band and the Western Mustangs Cheerleaders which are always a big hit. The band played O' Canada and also accompanied the cheerleaders as they performed demonstration routines. At the conclusion of their planned routines, the cheerleaders went out into the crowd and invited children to participate in the show by being lifted by the team. The smiles on the children's faces and the excitement in the room were absolutely electrifying! Afterwards, participants and buddies rotated through a schedule of activities including sports and games in the gym, arts and crafts in classrooms, and sliding out on UC Hill. Pizza and cake were provided for everyone in the Great Hall.

Overall, the day was an incredible experience for everyone involved. For many student volunteers each year, the Winter Special Games is their first exposure to the challenges and rewards of working with children with special needs. For many of our participants, WSG is an event that they look forward to every year... and in speaking to some of the TVDSB staff this year I have learned that some have been at every event for over 20 years!!

Dr. Darwin Semotiuk (UWO Professor and Tri-Chair for the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games to be held in London, ON) was in attendance for the morning of the event and passed along the following message of thanks to the volunteers and organizers:
"Westerns Kinesiology students have continued the tradition of doing outstanding work in serving the needs of intellectually challenged individuals in the London community. Indeed, the smiles on the faces of those children participating in the Winter Special Games are heart warming and say it all!!! Well done Kinesiology WSG volunteers.........you are wonderful ambassadors for the School, Faculty and University."


A full gallery of photos from the day can be viewed online at the following address:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1346493@N21/pool/show/


Yours in Sport,

Melinda Maika
mmaika3@uwo.ca
UWO Kinesiology Students' Council
Special Events Coordinator
Winter Special Games 2010 organizer (along with Kelsey Kendellen)


** The UWO KSC does not claim to have rights to any of the music used in this video. We appreciate the artists' contributions.**

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• wsg