Disabled Youngsters and ODU Students Are All Winners at Little Feet Meet
By Steve Daniel
The smiles, the laughter, the energy and the effort. It was all there Tuesday at Old Dominion's fifth annual Little Feet Meet. Once again, Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium was transformed into a colorful field of dreams for children with disabilities.
Approximately 300 children from 12 Norfolk public elementary schools took part in this year's event, which is designed for those with multiple disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome and Asperger's syndrome. The Little Feet Meet featured a variety of "Olympic" events - everything from an obstacle course and races to field goal kicking and golf (see photos below).
The event is sponsored by the Darden College of Education in partnership with Norfolk Public Schools and Special Olympics Virginia. As in previous years, a class of students from the university's Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies Program in the Department of Human Movement Sciences ran the event, and the PRTS program provided 147 volunteers. Approximately two-dozen members of the Monarch football team also were on hand to help out.
Surveying the field about an hour in to the three-hour event, Betsy Kennedy, senior lecturer of recreation and tourism studies who coordinates the Little Feet Meet each year, pronounced it a success.
"We have about 180 ODU student volunteers and 300 children here. Everybody is having a great time and the weather couldn't be better. Everything is going great," she said.
Kennedy added that besides the youngsters having a wonderful time, the event benefits ODU as well. "This is a wonderful service-learning experience for our ODU students. It is also a wonderful opportunity for the university to serve our local community," she said.
Students from the Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies Program were scattered throughout the field Tuesday, directing the various athletic activities that stretched from one end zone to the other. From the smiles, laughter, words of encouragement and high-fives they shared with their young charges, it was clear they were having just as much fun as the children.
Senior PRTS/therapeutic recreation major Kelly Maronn, who hails from Bristol, Conn., was among the nearly 150 PRTS student volunteers. This was her third year of helping out at the Little Feet Meet.
"I have watched this event grow so much in the past three years and it is one of the most fun and rewarding events that the PRTS majors volunteer for. It is a chance for us all to get out and have some fun while providing a memorable day for the special-needs students of Norfolk," said Maronn, who serves as president of the Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies Majors Club.
"This one day is a life-changing event for many of these children, when they get to step out onto Foreman Field and participate in games and activities they previously thought were not possible for them. The pure joy and appreciation for this opportunity that we see year after year, from not only students but also parents and teachers, are what keep driving this event. The dedication to the Little Feet Meet from the PRTS faculty and students is incomparable to any other event on campus."
Virginia Beach junior Jessica Klamut, also a PRTS/therapeutic recreation major, has served as a volunteer for the past three years, including two years of teaming up with a child and one year of running one of the activity stations. "I look forward to the event every year because it's a great way for us to give back, and I love working with all the little kids. I love seeing all the children running around with huge smiles on their faces. It means so much to me that we are able to have the opportunity to work the children. And the joy that you see in their expressions makes it all worthwhile," she said.
"It is really neat to work a station and see how excited the kids get when they score a goal or kick the ball really hard. I also find it really rewarding to pair up with a child and watch them grow as the day goes on. Some children are really outgoing and ready to go from the start, but the children I have had the pleasure to work with have been really shy and timid when they started. As the day goes one they really open up and start getting into all the activities, running from one station to the next. The bond you create with the child in the short time you have with them is different from any other friendship. The whole time I am out there I have a smile on my face, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
Jennifer Rowe, who works as an occupational therapist with Norfolk Public Schools, was also out on the field Tuesday taking in the day's events.
"This is my first time; I think it's amazing," she said. "We have beautiful weather and the kids are loving this - being able to get out of school and enjoy themselves, run around, get a little energy out. It's great for us, too, because we get to experience activities with them outside the classroom and to see what they enjoy."
As in years past, the Monarch football team has provided a cadre of volunteers for the Little Feet Meet. Blair Roberts, a senior wide receiver from Rochester, N.Y., was back again for his fourth year.
Asked why he continues to volunteer at the event, he replied: "Just for the enjoyment of seeing a lot of these kids smile. It's an event that can change their lives, and at the same time it's changing my life, too. Just getting to know them is special."
ODU football coach Bobby Wilder said his players look forward to the Little Feet Meet each year.
"This is a program that we feel strongly about - spending a day with some very special kids that need encouragement, love and support," he said. "We try to do our best as a football team to encourage them to smile, have fun and enjoy their time here. One of the teachers last year told me that one of her students said this had been the greatest day of his life. That's a really powerful message to get from a young person, and I shared that with our football players - how impactful this day is for these kids.
"I also want our players to understand how important it is to be grateful that they're happy and healthy and allowed to go to a school like Old Dominion and be part of a football team. They understand it, they all get the message. They love coming out here and playing with these kids - being able to hug them and support them and encourage them - so I think it's mutually beneficial. If this doesn't put a smile on your face, there's something wrong with you."
Photos by David Hollingsworth