Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Jessica Flacinski
#50for50: Volume 42▪️ Jessica Flacinski▪️ 24 years old▪️ Elk County “Singing is my passion. I like to put my voice to use. When I was young, I didn’t speak for the longest time. But then, all of sudden, I started learning words through singing. I sing the Star-Spangled Banner for the swimming events at Bradford. I’ve […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Sue Ann Jacobs
#50for50: Volume 41▪️ Sue Ann Jacobs▪️ 63 years old▪️ Area P “I first started hearing about Special Olympics when [my son] Nathan was in middle school. We tried a variety of things. He was two years behind his grade level. He didn’t go to middle school until he was 13, but we insisted he be […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Hillary McFadden
#50for50: Volume 40▪️ Hillary McFadden▪️ 36 years old▪️ Area M “One year I wanted to do speed skating and I was at school. I was 16 at the time. But then they said, ‘Well no, you can’t do that. You’re blind.’ And I said, ‘Alright, that’s it. I’m not doing it.’ But then I went […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Haleigh Sommers
#50for50: Volume 39▪️ Haleigh Sommers▪️ 24 years old▪️ Fayette County “I was a part of a special needs baseball team called the Miracle League when one of my friends on the team told us about Special Olympics. At first, it was more for something to do on Sundays. My first sport was bowling. I liked […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Nick Kitzko
#50for50: Volume 38▪️ Nick Kitzko▪️ 25 years old▪️ Lawrence County “I live here in Lawrence County with my dad and brother. My brother is older than me. It’s nice here. I like it. I get to do a lot of different things and spend time with friends and family. A couple of years ago, I […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Tommy Kreutzer
#50for50: Volume 37▪️ Tommy Kreutzer▪️ 26 years old▪️ Allegheny County “I’ve been playing soccer for a few years. I started out playing goalie and then I played some in the field, too. I think I like playing in the field a lot better than playing goalie because playing goalie, you just stand there and wait […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Tyler Zahos
#50for50: Volume 36▪️ Tyler Zahos▪️ 21 years old▪️ York County “I started with Special Olympics when I did Unified track and field two years ago. My coach [Deb Gable] talked me into it because I could run fast. I did Unified bocce as well. I liked to ride on the bus to the track meets. […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Winnie Downey
#50for50: Volume 35▪️ Winnie Downey▪️ 51 years old▪️ Delaware County “I’ve lived in Delaware County my whole life. I was first introduced to Special Olympics in elementary school. We did track and field — the 50-yard dash, the softball throw and the broad jump. We got ribbons, we didn’t get medals at the time. Back […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Kailey Jefferson
#50for50: Volume 34▪️ Kailey Jefferson▪️ 23 years old▪️ Schuylkill County “I started in 2013 for volleyball. One of my friends told my mom about it and I was like ‘Cool, I want to try it.’ It sounded interesting. And when I did start, it was a lot of fun because I got to know people […]
Special Olympics Pennsylvania #50for50: Katie Miller
#50for50: Volume 33▪️ Katie Miller▪️ 42 years old▪️ Berks County “It was in 2008 when I first got involved. I hadn’t played volleyball before that and I was looking for social activities to do. It was kind of different, only because I was kind of shy. And I didn’t have many friends in high school. When […]
