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Show Pleasant Grove Hosts the First Annual EKS Day by Danica Baird Student Writer On Saturday, September 25, Pleasant Grove City hosted host-ed a special event celebrating and honoring Eunice Kennedy Ken-nedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics Movement. Move-ment. Hundreds of other EKS events were held all across the world. Shriver started an inclusive in-clusive sports camp in the early 1960s that blossomed into a worldwide movement in over 170 countries. This year marked the first annual EKS Day named in her hon or, which will be held every fourth Saturday in September. Septem-ber. At the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center, at seven in the morning, volunteers came pouring in from all across the state to help run. the Special Olympics Basketball State Qualifiers. Athletes from all ages with unique disabilities dis-abilities came to compete and have fun. They played in two different divisions on half-courts from eight in the morning until one in the afternoon af-ternoon in front of hundreds of fans loudly cheering them on. The pinnacle of this event was the awards ceremony cer-emony where all the smiling athletes anxiously awaited volunteers to hand them their ribbons and place their medals med-als around their neck. This was truly a beautiful sight full of smiles, laughter, and tears. This moving scene was made possible by Pleasant Pleas-ant Grove City, the Special Olympics Utah Organization, hundreds of volunteers, and the athletes who created an unforgettable scene for everyone ev-eryone involved in this first EKS Day. |
