VALLEY — The Chambers County Special Olympics will be taking place at Valley Community Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST on Friday, March 23. This is a fun event for the participants and heartwarming for anyone who watches it.

The athletes taking part are from Valley High, LaFayette High, Five Points School, the elementary schools in Valley and LaFayette and Valley Haven School. There’s a standing invitation for Lanett students to take part as well. Somewhere between 60 and 70 local students  participate in this event. Competing for a medal is something they look forward to all year long.

“This is always a rewarding experience,” said Dr. Kelli Hodge, superintendent of Chambers County Schools. “It always makes you feel good to come out and see it. It’s going to be even more fun this year since swimming has been added.”

The big gym area inside the Community Center is always a loud place when the Special Olympic athletes are competing. A big crowd is usually on hand to cheer them on and to encourage them to do their best. The indoor swimming area should get pretty loud this year as well.

The Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competition to an estimated 5.7 million athletes and unified sports partners in 172 countries.

Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world – including local, regional and national competitions, adding up to more than 100,000 events per year.