Pictured with Miss Arkansas International (l-r): Bill Welch, Dub Green, Bob Rodgers, Tony Shields, Bill Nosek, Roger Witcraft, Milt Spaniel, and John Bodensteiner. (not pictured - Jerry Bertrand, Dick Biddle and Father Elser.)

The Arkansas Special Olympic Summer Games were held May 27-29 at Harding University in Searcy.  Approximately 6,500 people were in attendance, including 1,400 athletes.

The Knights of Columbus has long been a supporter of this event, not only financially, but most visibly with an honor guard  leading the athletes into Bison Stadium and by sponsoring the Olympic Town, which consists of a number of games and activities for the athletes when they are not competing in their scheduled events.

Brother Knight Lee Borne, a charter member of local Council 10208 and Past State Deputy, was instrumental in getting Olympic Town established as a supportive function of the Summer Games, and the knights from Hot Springs Village have been an integral part of the games ever since.  Unfortunately, the 55 other councils in Arkansas have not chosen to support Olympic Town.  This year, for example, there were only two other knights in attendance, one of whom, Ray Patrick, is the coordinator.

Of the 23 volunteers from Sacred Heart of Jesus, there were eleven Council 10208 knights with eight of their spouses in attendance.  Led by Dub and Geri Green, many arrived Thursday afternoon to help set up the games, and several stayed through Saturday noon to take down.   For prizes the council donated 3,500 tootsie rolls left from the 2010 Campaign for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

To view pictures from the Special Olympics, click on Photos and the Special Olympics gallery.