Maine Principals' Association and Special Olympics Maine, 2019 Giraffe Award Winners

Oct 16 2019 18:40

This is one in a series of profiles on the 2019 Giraffe Award winners. Each week leading up to the Champions for Children Luncheon on November 7th, we will feature a profile of a 2019 Giraffe Award Winner and showcase how they “stick out their neck” for Maine children, youth and families. This week, we are pleased to highlight the work that the Maine Principals' Association and Special Olympics Maine have done to support and elevate Unified Basketball. 

Through a partnership between Special Olympics Maine and the Maine Principal’s Association , which oversees high school sports, the first unified high school basketball teams started playing in 2015. It has grown exponentially since then, giving everyone from participating high schools in Maine an opportunity to cheer on students who in the past might have been overlooked. Team sports bring people together. And Unified Sports do that - and more - for the students who participate. By joining people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, it promotes social inclusion, physical activity, and fosters a healthy sense of competition. It was inspired by a simple principle: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. Through the Unified Sports program we have an opportunity to make real positive changes in the lives of students with and without disabilities. Today more than 62 schools participate in Unified Basketball in Maine, providing students - both with and without disabilities - the opportunity to practice together, play together, and better understand and accept each other. Unified Basketball shines as an example of how we can effect real positive change, by creating a more inclusive environment for all athletes and students.

The Maine Principals' Association and Special Olympics Maine will be awarded the 2019 Organization Award for their collaboration in developing and supporting Unified Basketball in Maine, on November 7th at our Champions for Children celebration.

Don’t forget to join us for the 2019 Champions for Children and 25th Anniversary Celebration ! And keep an eye out for upcoming profiles featuring the rest of our 2019 Giraffe Award winners. 

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