By Ame Hossen
The Special Olympics, founded in 1968, have been a breeding ground of athletic talent to those who have developmental and cognitive challenges. In the last 47 years, the organization has become home to more than 4.4 million athletes.
This year, these globally recognized games took place in Los Angeles. Although these games have an age limit to their participants, this year a special group of kids joined the fun. On July 28th, the Special Olympics Young Athletes Pasadena, sponsored by PCDA, also known as the Professional Child Development Associates, joined 6,500 athletes in the Special Olympics.
Taking place at UCLA, the 32 children age two to seven demonstrated multiple athletic abilities, including soccer skills. Alongside their parents, these children showed extraordinary determination, practicing their skills every Saturday in Pasadena within their weekly Special Olympics Young Athletes program meetings. Although many struggled with their newfound passion for sports at first, by the time the athletes arrived at the Special Olympics, they were ready to tackle on any obstacle coming their way. Besides defying the odds, the children from PCDA showed remarkable courage and athletic abilities by participating in these globally recognized events at such a young age.
PCDA is a non-profit organization that provides medical services, therapy, and opportunities to children ages 0-21 with cognitive or developmental challenges. The Special Olympics Young Athletes Pasadena is a free program overflowing with physical opportunities available to children age two to seven with a goal of aiding them in healthy mental and physical growth. The program takes place every Saturday. For more information about the program, contact pcda@pcdateam.org, or visit pcdateam.org.