Parks and Rec partners with Special Olympics

The Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners approved a plan Tuesday intended to strengthen the Monroe County Special Olympics program. \nUnder the agreement, the city's Parks and Recreation Department will grant Special Olympics Indiana-Monroe County access to facilities like basketball courts and softball fields and will provide staff to help supervise and coordinate the events. The city will also help publicize Special Olympics events and provide meeting space and an information hotline.\nFor its part, the Special Olympics agreed to designate a parks department coordinator as a liaison to the Special Olympics' policy-making board.\n"This is very rewarding for us," said Parks and Recreation Director Mick Renneisen. "It's great for us to be able to help these athletes compete."\nMonroe County Special Olympics has 120 registered athletes who compete in numerous sports throughout the year, including track and field, bowling, golf, softball and basketball. With the new partnership, Special Olympics coordinators hope to add even more sports to the roster, said Amy Shrake, the inclusive recreation coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department.\nBloomington has long had a good relationship with the local Special Olympics, and the program used to be run by the Parks and Recreation Department. But since 2004, Special Olympics has operated as an independent, volunteer-run organization.\nAccording to its Web site, Special Olympics Indiana provides year-round athletic training and competition to nearly 12,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the state. Under the credo "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt," these athletes compete in 21 Olympic-type sports at the local, regional and state levels.