NEWPORT, R.I. – The student –run Special Olympics Committee at Salve Regina University will be honored with an advocacy award during the third annual Patricia Beede Memorial Awards ceremony tonight (Monday, Sept. 10) at 6 p.m. at the Young Building, corner of Bellevue and Ruggles avenues.
The event is hosted by parents, for parents, through the Newport Local Advisory Committee on Special Education.
Other honorees include Alaina Behbehani, special educator; Raleigh Brennan, Unified basketball coach; Nancy Coyne, paraprofessional; Ian Gollub, music teacher and Anne Marie Johnson, paraprofessional.
Salve Regina’s Special Olympics Committee involves about 100 student volunteers who have organized and run the Rhode Island East Bay Special Olympics for 30 years. Teams from high schools and communities across Rhode Island participate in several sports ranging from track to softball.
Salve Regina has supported the Special Olympics since 1981, when student Raye Denkiewicz helped to initiate a new East Bay chapter. The local Newport games are held annually in April to prepare athletes for statewide competitions at the University of Rhode Island in June.
Volunteers work with local vendors, coordinate DJs and organizations for Olympic Town, provide public relations services and assist athletes during the event. The university mission of mercy and justice is an integral part of Salve Regina’s involvement in Special Olympics Rhode Island. Service on the committee is open to all students, allowing the Salve Regina community to reach out to the special needs community in a greater way.