I became involved with Special Olympics and Ark Industries (The Ark) because of our daughter Jennifer who is intellectually challenged. In 1996 my husband John, Jennifer and I moved from Kitchener, Ontario, to Riverport, Nova Scotia, to help look after my elderly parents. At that time Jennifer was in a Special Ed class in Ontario, and when we moved she was enrolled in the same type of class in Nova Scotia.

Her teacher was very involved with Special Olympics and encouraged all her students to take part in at least one of the sports offered. Jennifer was never involved with any sports before, and like many parents of a disabled child, I felt she would not be able to take part or know what to do. Jennifer became very active in many sports and currently competes in athletics in the summer and snowshoeing in the winter in addition to bowling and soccer. Between Special Olympics and her school she grew in leaps and bounds…

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