Youth and Adult Athletes with Disabilities
“I work at the Alfond Youth and Community Center (AYCC) in Waterville, Maine as the Unified Champion Club (UCC) Coordinator. This is a free program overseen by Special Olympics Maine and has the host site of the AYCC. We serve high school aged and older adults with disabilities. This club serves as a place for most adults to continue on with sports and social events they might have had in high school but no longer have access to as graduates. Our group participates in a variety of sports throughout the seasons, social events such as paint nights, holiday parties, banquets, community events and fundraisers and much more. Maine General and SNAP-ed had been partnering with UCC since before I was in charge to provide these cooking and nutrition classes.
Having this opportunity for the athletes in our program is amazing and rewarding for all who are a part of it. Many of these athletes and their families would not have had access to classes like this in the past and now they are able to learn a lot of basics that most other people would already know. How to shop in the stores, what food and ingredients to look for and how to assemble a meal or snack for yourself. Having these classes and allowing the athletes to cut the food and help prepare the meal gives them confidence that they can do this at home too. It may even also widen their palate and encourage them to try new foods and new combinations they may never have had before.
These classes provide a safe place for our athletes to ask questions and be curious about foods and their own personal health, how they can work to eat healthier and take care of themselves with some independence. We are so grateful to have SNAP-ed in our community and they provide the 4 week course for our club to participate in. We are looking forward to our upcoming SNAP-ed classes this summer, I know they will be a hit I can’t wait to see what we learn and make this year!”