Services For People with Disabilities

Hanging on a wall in Dennis Airhart's bedroom is the kind of hardware that would make most athletes envious – 21 gold, silver and bronze medals that he has won at the Special Olympics since he first started competing in high school.

He's covered a wide gamut of sports already, from basketball to softball to soccer and even ice skating, but this past year the Ames resident set a personal goal to get even more involved in sports.

Not afraid to try new things, Dennis decided to branch out this year and join a team.

"His initial goal was to work on swimming lessons, but he was discouraged about the high cost of lessons," said Amber Funk, an LSI caseworker. "So he decided to join Active Lifestyles through the Arc of Story County."

For the past year, Dennis has met with teammates once a week to practice different sports. Softball is his favorite, he said, along with track and field, soccer, bowling and basketball.

Dennis has partnered with LSI since 2003 for respite and supportive community living services. At LSI, it's a priority to help individuals get involved in the community, and staff members enjoyed cheering Dennis on from the sidelines and going with him to practices.

That included going to Ames Middle School every other day where Dennis trained for track and field events for this year's Special Olympics, held in his own city of Ames.

"Dennis is always enthusiastic and ready to go," said JoAnna Ragazzo, LSI program assistant, who attended practices with him. "He does a warm up lap as soon as he gets there. He was even willing to do two events back to back this year."

The Special Olympics is a major competition in Iowa, serving more than 13,000 Iowans. Iowa is the number two state in the nation for highest athlete participation per capita.

Even with all that competition, Dennis's hard work and training paid off. He earned a bronze medal this year in the 100 meter dash.

"I have a lot of fun," said Dennis. He added he has made new friends through his Story County team. Their softball team even made it to the state championships in Des Moines.

"Dennis has really succeeded in all the sports he has tried this year," said Amber. "He always gives 100% in practices and competitions. He enjoys making new friends and is great at trying new things."

Making new friends was one highlight. But how about accepting his medal on a podium in front of a cheering crowd?

"It felt great," Dennis said.