Jamie Heckerman has a passion for inclusion and the community. She got a degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. When she started working with Special Olympics Arizona in 2010, she found her life calling.
Today, as president and CEO of the organization, she heads efforts to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them opportunities to not only develop physical fitness skills, but to demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
The first Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) competition in 1975 consisted of a one-day track & field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers. Today, that has grown to 21 sports, 675 regional competitions, and four statewide competitions for 21,461 athletes and a remarkable 24,743 day-of volunteers annually.
Click here to learn more about Special Olympics Arizona: https://specialolympicsarizona.org/
Original air date: March 21, 2024.
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