A Whitby Special Olympics partnership will give more than 450 Durham Region athletes a long-term base for training and competition at Abilities Centre.
The centre and Special Olympics Ontario announced the multi-year agreement in an October 13 release, with Daily Durham reporting the local development on October 15.
Reliable space and facility improvements
The agreement supports improvements to the centre, including the Jim Flaherty Fieldhouse, while establishing a stable local home for Special Olympics programming.
Planned activities include youth fundamentals, rhythmic gymnastics and a Unified Program with Durham school boards. Provincial basketball tournaments and a women’s three-on-three basketball event are also part of the programming described in the announcement.
The organizations want to improve year-round access, recruit and train volunteer coaches and officials, and strengthen connections with schools, healthcare providers and community groups.
Local Special Olympics athletes and their families will also be offered discounted memberships. The partners did not state the discount amount in the release.
The Four Oaks Foundation helped make the collaboration possible. No financial value or exact end date for the multi-year agreement was disclosed.
