General Mills Volunteers Make Memories at Special Olympics Spring Games

On Sunday, April 26, an estimated 750 Special Olympics Illinois athletes will compete in athletics (track & field) at the Area 2/5 Spring Games. This event begins at 8 a.m. at North Central College in Naperville. Areas 2 and 5 are composed of athletes from Eastern and Western DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Western Cook counties.

This event wouldn’t be possible without the generous support from volunteers like Rick and Sharon Hernandez. Rick and Sharon, who are a part of the General Mills Community Action Council, have championed a group of 20 co-workers and friends to volunteer at Spring Games for years.

This group runs a softball throw area as well as awards. They have even developed (and perfected) their own color coding system to help the Games run smoothly.

Despite their efficiency, they run a little behind schedule each year because of the care and time put forth making the athletes’ day a special one. “I always tell my volunteers that if we can make their day special, then I guarantee that they will make our day special,” said Rick.

Rick especially loves meeting the athletes. One year while volunteering, he escorted an athlete named Darius through the softball throw line. He asked Darius what time it was and confused, Darius shrugged. Rick said, “It’s Darius time.” Darius went on to win his division and as he accepted his medal he said, “It’s Darius time!”

This group also recaps each year’s event with a special photo montage. “The memories that we make are my favorite parts of the Spring Games,” said Rick.

Special Olympics Illinois is grateful for the support from General Mills and all the volunteers who make their events a success.

“We rely on volunteers to help run every aspect of Spring Games,” says Area 2 Director Amy Kaylor. “But even more importantly, the athletes look forward to the friendship and encouragement they receive from the volunteers.”

To compete in the Special Olympics Illinois Area Spring Games, athletes must train for eight weeks. Athletes who win a gold medal at these Area games qualify to compete in the Special Olympics Illinois State Summer Games to be held June 12-14 on the campuses of Illinois State University in Normal and Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. More than 3,700 athletes from around the state are expected to compete in Summer Games.

The public is invited to watch the Spring Games competition and experience the joy of achievement by Special Olympics athletes. For more information, contact Amy Kaylor at akaylor@soill.org or Area 5 Director Katie Grisham at kgrisham@soill.org.