Hillsdale College students are invited to cheer on community members with special needs this Saturday at the GOAL program’s first Buddy Olympics. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Hayden Park.
Special needs participants and Hillsdale College students will compete together in teams in freeze dance, relay race/penalty kick, and beach volleyball. Participants will receive certificates and pizza.
“This is really just an opportunity for them to make friendships and relationships with the college students and have a good time—have fun, dance, play some games and do some activities,” said senior Matt Granzotto, who leads the GOAL Special Education Volunteering program.
“As many college students as want to come we welcome,” junior Lucy Cuneo, the GOAL coordinator, said. “The more people there, the more energy that there is, so everyone’s welcome to come down.”
Granzotto said he looks forward to seeing participants in person.
“I’m really excited to see the joy in everybody and be there through all the excitement,” Granzotto said. “The special needs community has really been put at a deficit with the pandemic. At least with my GOAL program, we’ve been virtual all of last year, so now just having the chance to be face-to-face and to actually spend time with them is probably what I’m looking most forward to.”
While the event is not an official partnership with the Special Olympics, Cuneo said the program inspired the GOAL office to put on the event.
“One of my sisters has Down Syndrome, and she’s been a part of the Special Olympics her whole life,” Cuneo said. “I’ve seen what joy that brings to her, being with other people that are like her and with other people of the general population that want to interact with her and the love that’s shown between so many different people of different abilities. It’s such a beautiful thing to see and be part of.”
