Special athletes prepare to celebrate 26 years of fun

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 26th annual Joan Mann Special Sports Day is rapidly approaching, and the committee responsible for hosting the event is looking for volunteers. 

The event is scheduled to be held in Hangar 711, Sept. 22, and at least 700 people are needed to help make the day a success. Volunteers will act as escorts for the 250-plus special athletes - physically and mentally handicapped people from around East Anglia. 

According to Master Sgt. John Harrill, JMSSD committee co-chairperson, the committee is made up of Airmen of all ranks from RAFs Mildenhall and Lakenheath. 

"We're looking for volunteers from all bases, including (RAFs) Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Feltwell, Alconbury and Molesworth, who are enthusiastic and have a good attitude," Master Sgt. Russell Anderson, JMSSD committee chairperson, said. 

"We need assistance with set-up and tear-down, and parking, as well as the main job of escorting the athletes. The volunteers will need to be in-place at 8 a.m., ready to greet the athletes." 

Events run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and begin with a traditional Olympic-style ceremony and parade of athletes. Sporting events begin after wing leadership's opening remarks, followed by lunch and an awards presentation. 

Competitions include a ring toss (seated and standing), basketball shoot (seated and standing), tennis ball shuttle run, wheelchair slalom course and 300-feet relay run. 

"There'll be face painting, balloons, a visit from Sparky the Fire Dog and the fire department, and a birds of prey display," said Sergeant Anderson. 

All special athletes participating will receive a medal, whether they win an event or not. They will also receive a T-shirt and certificate, in addition to a photo of themselves at the event. 

Sergeant Harrill said he helped cook at the event last year, but wanted to be more involved this year. 

"This is a great community relations event for a great cause," he said. "It provides a bright moment in these athletes' lives, and has a big impact on both them and the community." 

Regular contributors to the event are the chapel, commissary, enlisted and civilians' spouses club and Top 3. 

Upcoming fundraisers include a golf tournament Aug. 24 at RAF Lakenheath. The committee is also requesting donations of baked goods, including cookies and cakes, on that day. 

"We try and get 100 percent donations to keep the cost of the event down," said Sergeant Anderson. "Everything we raise this year helps the next committee for the following year's event." 

The event started 26 years ago, when Joan Mann, a former Ministry of Defence civilian who worked in the 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office, decided to put together an event for special-needs people of all ages. The purpose of the event was to bring the local British and American communities closer together. 

At the time, the newly-formed Top 3 Fellowship agreed to fund the event, and have done so every year since. 

The event costs between $6,500 and $7,500 to put on, and that's without the cost of the food, which is donated by the RAF Lakenheath commissary, said Sergeant Harrill. 

"The JMSSD committee organizes fund raisers to support this event, and we solicit donations from various units," he said. 

Joan Mann died last year, but her son will be at RAF Mildenhall to help celebrate this year's event. 

For more information, call Sergeant Anderson at 238-8536 or Sergeant Harrill at 238-5631.