TRIB TOTAL MEDIA SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019 · 9
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
KAREN PRICE | FOR TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
Michael Anthony (center) celebrates as he receives a Special Olympics gold medal
during the Westmoreland County track-and-field day.
summer and Seven Springs in the winter.
Worldwide, the Special Olympics, founded
by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, is
in 172 countries and is the largest organization
for people with intellectual and
physical disabilities.
Milton Claney, 77, of Greensburg, founded
the Westmoreland chapter, although
he’ll tell you today that at the time he
had no idea what he was doing or what it
would become.
The former physical-education teacher at
the Intermediate Unit simply saw an article
in the paper one day that said the sister of
President John Kennedy wanted to start an
athletic program for children with special
needs and it included an address, so he
wrote a letter. A few weeks later he got a
big envelope in the mail with a form to fill
out and it all progressed from there.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into, I
really didn’t,” he said. “And I don’t regret
it, and I did it for 20 years.”
Initially, they had to go into homes and
try to convince parents to sign their children
up for Special Olympics, he said.
The first event they held was in track
and field. He called on his friends, family
members and fellow teachers to help out.
Working in the time before computers, he
said, there were years where they’d get 120
paper entries and the whole family would
Lear! to Dance
With Dementia
Written by the daughter of a St. Barnabas Memory Care resident
Dancing with dementia was not easy. My
dad always loved to dance. He would
glide around the dance floor. The
first dance was always with my
mom, then withmy two older
sisters and finally, my turn!
I remember the excitement
as I anticipated my turn to
have my dad lead me around
the dance floor. It wasn’t
always graceful, but it was
our dance.
In my dad’s final years
he was diagnosed with
dementia. This was
heartbreaking. Learning
to communicate with him
became a challenge. Then, I
remembered how to follow his
lead and let him lead me in this
dance. Some days we would talk,
others we would spend singing and
sometimes we just sat quietly holding
hands. Once again, it wasn’t always
graceful, but it was our dance.
Given the choice to sit it out or dance, dance!
We are here to help! For more information about St. Barnabas
Memory Care and our five Living Assisted Facilities, visit
StBarnabasMemoryCare.com or contact Anne Nelson, Director
of Clinical Admissions at 724-625-4000.
5850 Meridian Road . Gibsonia, PA 15044
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