Contact:         Kathy Irving, Director of Athlete Initiatives, 515-418-2284

Who:             50 Special Olympics Iowa athletes, ages 2-8. Participants will be accompanied by their parent or their preschool or elementary school teachers and chaperones. 80 volunteers will assist in this event, running each activity and working as team leaders. The event is sponsored by Variety - The Children’s Charity and Gerdau.

What:           The Young Athletes Play Activity 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 competitions (minimum entry age being eight years and up).

When:          9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 6

Where:         West Family YMCA in Davenport

 
Special Olympics Iowa is hosting the 12th annual Young Athletes Play Activity Day on Tuesday, November 6 at the West Family YMCA from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Young Athlete Play Days provide networking opportunities for parents of children with intellectual disabilities while the benefits of play for the children who participate include: the opportunity to have fun and to get along with others while working toward together toward a goal, encouragement of imagination and gaining self-esteem.

Participants will enjoy activities in: air flow jumper, ball darts, basketball, batting, bowling, 3.5 foot dash, musical balance beam, ribbon routine, soccer kick, standing long jump and tennis ball throw. In addition to Davenport, Young Athlete Play Days are also held statewide in: Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Muscatine, Neola, Oskaloosa and Waterloo.

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