From July 6 to July 10 on the Rhodes College campus, athletes and volunteers attended the Lynx Summer Camp for Special Olympics of Greater Memphis. Tori Conklin, a rising junior and Summer Service Fellow at Rhodes, helped coordinate events for the camp that included team-building, educational and creative activities, opportunities for inclusive play, and field trips to Bass Pro, Fire Museum of Memphis, and others.
According to its mission, Special Olympics of Greater Memphis provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
The camp’s theme was “Around the World.” Says Conklin, “Part of Special Olympics’ mission is to connect athletes to the Memphis community, but this year it sought to broaden the athletes’ knowledge of the world around them through “vacations” to countries including Brazil, Japan, and Sweden. Athletes got to enjoy a cookout and have fun on huge water slides brought to campus the last day of the camp.
A business major, Conklin also will assist with the organization’s fundraisers this summer including a silent auction called Wine and Dine and the Over the Edge fundraiser at the iBank Tower downtown.
“Rhodes has been a wonderful community sponsor to Special Olympics Greater Memphis. The staff and students go out of their way to welcome our athletes to the campus,” said Special Olympics of GreaterMemphis Director Lisa Taylor. “This was our third year to host Lynx Summer Camp. We look forward to coming back next year.”