KMC brings smiles to children with Special Olympics

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joshua Magbanua
  • 896th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Kaiserslautern Military Community members worked together to bring smiles to the faces of special-needs children by hosting a Special Olympics event on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, May 18.

Service members, along with U.S. and German civilians, conducted the 2018 KMC Summer Special Olympics. The event involved participation by more than 70 students from U.S. and German schools.

Master Sgt. Christopher Lafaurie, 86th Logistics Squadron assistant 1st sergeant, said the event became a success because of the hard work and patience of everyone involved.

“There’s nothing like seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Lafaurie said. “Once that first kid smiles, it’s all worth it. Sports brings just as much to the table in growing the community as everything else.”

Lafaurie added that the Special Olympics symbolizes the partnership between the German and American communities in the local area, raises awareness for people in the special-needs community, and encourages them to venture beyond their physical boundaries.

Students participated in various sporting events while volunteers facilitated the games and paired up with the students to help them navigate the Olympics. The Olympic events included soccer shootout, football throw, basketball, homerun derby, and a 100 meter dash. Arts and crafts and face painting also took place at the event.

Senior Airman Michael Therrien, 86th Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment technician, said the Olympic events are designed to help the participants build confidence and discover their true potential.

“I believe that they can do whatever we can do,” said Therrien, who helped facilitate the homerun derby. “It might be at a different pace, but I still believe that they can accomplish that goal. By what I’ve witnessed today, everyone overcame their obstacles just by showing us what they do.”

Therrian added that he enjoyed volunteering for the Special Olympics, and would sign up again “in a heartbeat” if another one was to occur again soon.

“My motivation (for volunteering) was to give back to my community and help people,” he said. “My favorite part of the event was seeing the smiles on everyone’s face — seeing how happy they were when everyone was applauding them and cheering them on.”

The Special Olympics concluded with an award ceremony for the students and a parade at the Southside Fitness Center annex. The participants marched around the track showing off their tokens of accomplishment.