The Link

2010-03-05
SPECIAL OLYMPICS KANSAS

Special Olympics Kansas starts Young Athletes Program

Children, ages 3-7, encouraged to participate

Mission, KS. (March 5, 2010) - Special Olympics Kansas (SOKS) is providing a new opportunity for pre-school children with intellectual disabilities in Shawnee Mission Area. Young Athletes is an innovative sports program for young children, ages 3-7, with intellectual disabilities. The program focuses on basics that are crucial to cognitive development: physical activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination and the application of these physical skills.

Young Athletes is scheduled to meet throughout the spring on the following dates: March 11, April 21, May 19 and June 9. The sessions will be held from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm at the Shawnee Mission Instructional Support Center and are limited to 16 young athletes. Siblings will be welcomed and encouraged to participate. Families will be given the complete activity kit to take home for their personal use as they continue to work with their young athlete.

Along with building confidence in young athletes, the program is designed to help families meet other families. The program is FREE to participants. Young Athletes is funded in part by a grant from Kansas State Council Knights of Columbus and Wal-Mart State Giving Foundation.

To RSVP your young athlete, please contact Terri Price, Special Olympics Kansas VP of Sports, at 913.236.9290 or pricet@ksso.org. The Shawnee Mission Instructional Support Center is located at 9700 West 96th Street, Overland Park, KS, 66212.

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(Contact: Donna Zimmerman, 913.236.9290 ext. 112, pr@ksso.org)