A local Special Olympics club is headed to the provincial summer games, thanks to a financial grant.
The LaSalle Windsor Special Olympics team has been awarded a Fast-Track Grant by the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation, to assist athletes as they compete for spots on the 2018 national team. Ten members of the local team are competing this weekend at the 2017 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games in Brampton.
"The WECF is proud to support the LaSalle Windsor Special Olympics and their athletes," says executive director Lisa Kolody in a statement. "As we continue to explore how sport contributes to our sense of belonging, we appreciate the opportunity to help these athletes reach their full potential to compete at the provincial level. We wish them all the best!"
The grant enables the athletes to compete at the provincial games at no out-of-pocket cost, and grants are available for amounts up to $1,000. Tracy Cormier, coordinator of LaSalle Windsor Special Olympics, says the athletes may not have had the chance to compete at provincial level if it was not for the grant.
"With this donation we were able to send our athletes to the games at no cost to them," says Cormier in a statement. "Many of these athletes are on limited income through Ontario Disability and would not be able to afford to attend otherwise. All of these athletes have an intellectual disability but still have the drive to physically compete and do well at it."
For complete information on LaSalle Windsor Special Olympics, click here.