Over the summer I had the opportunity to work with the international Special Olympics. My hometown hosted New Zealand, and I had to help out with the basketball team. I must admit, at first, I wasn't too crazy about getting up early and wasting two hours every morning for someone else. I was doing it for my confirmation class anyway, but it turned out to be fun.

For three days, I went to the gym, opened up and watched their basketball team improve day by day. Every day, the team worked harder and gave it their all. The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that they always seemed to have fun, no matter how poorly they were shooting, passing or playing as a team. They were also extremely friendly and polite. On the last day, I came home with three pins and a lifetime of memories. fl