SALT LAKE CITY — A special health and wellness fair was held Saturday — the first of its kind put on by Special Olympics Utah and about 35 different community partners. Local families say it’s a critical resource.
“When you have kids with disabilities, sometimes it’s hard to find the resources and so to come to a place where it’s all together… it’s something I never imagined even existed, so this is great!” said Rebecca Sandberger, who attended the event at Glendale Middle School.
Event organizers from Special Olympics Utah say they hope this plugs families with kids who have special needs into the many resources that are in their community. They also provided important medical screenings for free, and even eyeglasses and other items as needed.
“To have providers understand his needs and have the ability to interact with him in a way that won’t feel intimidating to him, I’m excited to see,” Sandberger told FOX 13 News, looking forward to her son meeting with providers who she says seem to know how to communicate with kids with challenges.
“It’s a pretty intimidating experience for kids with special needs to go to any health care appointment. It can be a very difficult experience so I’m hoping for the best,” said Chase Lodder, a Special Olympian from Cottonwood Heights
Lodder was on hand and wanted to encourage anyone who may have thought about participating to give it a shot.
“I had a challenge when I was doing Junior Jazz. They wouldn’t ever pass me the ball. So we went to the district to see if I could go down a grade, and they said no, we can’t do that, and then two years later we found Special Olympics and it just changed my world!” he said.
Lodder played basketball, softball and golf for the Special Olympics and represented Team USA as a snowboarder in South Korea five years ago. For more on local programs offered through Special Olympics Utah, visit sout.org.
