WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – When any of us think about the Special Olympics, the images of children and adults running on tracks, playing basketball or swimming fill the mind first. Katelyn Andrist sees her work with Special Olympics Kansas as so much more than this. “Love is always coming back to you,” said Andrist, a Kansas State graduate and currently serving in the role of Miss Kansas. “If you don’t have that joy and you don’t give them that joy, we’re not doing that mission.” Those meets and competitions may pull in the cameras and the attention. Yet think about the everyday challenges. “I get to recognize what they need most,” said Andrist. “Love, confidence and people who stand up for them. Within this program, we have the power as one.” Special Olympics Kansas serves about 6,000 athletes, statewide. With mission is to give the year-round initiatives to the people who live with intellectual challenges while being that center for acceptance. “I get emotional because I’m so young but to be with those athletes and become part of their journeys and their family, I get to go to weddings and basketball games and I get to see the moments they struggle,” said Andrist. “That’s the greatest gift.” Andrist stresses the events showcase the athletes and coaches but the Special Olympics Kansas also highlights their parents and loved ones. The events dot the calendar, year-round, most recently with the 2024 Special Olympics North America Golf Championship in Wichita at Crestview County Club, with more than 250 athletes coming to the city to play and stay. Click here to nominate a deserving nonprofit in your community for a $500 Wins For Kansas grant.
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