News Release – For Immediate Release
Date: July 17, 2012
Contacts: Kathy Irving, Director of Special Programs, 515-418-2284
July 18 & 19
Cedar Falls & Waterloo host Special Olympics Iowa Play Days
Two Special Olympics Iowa (SOIA) Play Days are taking place this week in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Each day is sponsored by Variety –
The Children’s Charity. The first event is Wednesday, July 18 when 45 children ages 2-8 will participate in the eighth annual SOIA
Young Athletes Play Day at Castle Hill School in Waterloo from 9:30-11:15 a.m. Parents, siblings and friends will volunteer to run each
event and work as team leaders.
The fun and excitement continues on Thursday, July 19, when 72 SOIA athletes ages 2-8 will be part of the eighth annual Young Athletes
Play Day at the River Hills School in Cedar Falls from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Parents and River Hills School staff and UNI and local high school
students will volunteer to run each event and work as team leaders.
Young Athletes Play Day is a program designed to provide play activities and socialization opportunities for children with intellectual
disabilities between the ages of two and eight. “This program was created to serve children too young to participate in other Special
Olympics Iowa games, which has a minimum entry age of 8 years old,” said SOIA Director of Athlete Initiatives Kathy Irving.
“Play Days also provide networking opportunities for parents of children with intellectual disabilities,” she said. Irving noted participants
will enjoy activities in: ball darts, basketball, batting, bowling, 25-foot dash, musical balance beam, ribbon routine, soccer kick, standing
long jump and tennis ball throw.
Special Olympics Iowa, a statewide nonprofit organization, has provided sports training and competitions for children and adults with
intellectual disabilities since 1968. Nearly 11,000 athletes and Unified Sports Partners participate in Special Olympics Iowa events and
competitions annually. For more information, call 515-986-5520 or visit ww.soiowa.org
.
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