John Wray: Record number of gold medals and smiles at Special Olympics
Re “Want to see what pure happiness looks like? Volunteer to help some special athletes” (Page 9A, May 6): The Special Olympics athletes would like to thank the community volunteers and donors that supported our regional games this year. We hosted athletes from Merced and Mariposa counties and gave out a record number of gold medals. This was a qualifying event for nationals that will be held later in the year.
We also want to thank The Bee for its coverage of our regional games on May 6. The column by Brian Austin (May 5) was very informative about the rewards to both volunteers and athletes involved in our program. Thanks also to Jeff Jardine for helping get more information about one of our donors, James Desch. (“$500,000 donation to Stanislaus Special Olympics stalled,” Page 3A, May 2). Mr. Desch gave a significant amount of money to our local chapter and the entire amount will be spent for Stanislaus Special Olympics. Mr. Desch’s legacy will be the expanded opportunity for differently abled athletes in Stanislaus County to experience the challenge and joy of Special Olympics.
John Wray, Area Director, Stanislaus Special Olympics, Modesto
This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 3:10 PM with the headline "John Wray: Record number of gold medals and smiles at Special Olympics."