熊猫在线视频

Named 鈥淯nified Hope,鈥� the college鈥檚 chapter is launching its first-ever intramural league with a kick-off event on Tuesday, Feb. 18.  Activities during the current spring semester will include six weeks of basketball intramural league play as well as participating with teams from colleges and universities around the country in the fifth annual Unified College Championship Week presented by Special Olympics in April.

unites individuals with and without intellectual disabilities who are approximately the same age on the same team, providing opportunities to train and play together.  鈥淯nified Hope鈥� is beginning with 30 Hope students and about 20 community members (who are 18 years and older), with capacity remaining for more Holland-area Special Olympians to join.

鈥淎t Unified Hope, we believe in the power of sports to bring people together and create meaningful connections. Sports offer a space where friendships can grow without the social barriers we might experience elsewhere,鈥� said Cara Anderson, who is the Unified Hope student president.  鈥淥ur goal is to build a community where people of all abilities can live fully, celebrate their God-given gifts, and experience the joy of teamwork and inclusion.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 excited about Unified basketball,鈥� said Ben Feaster, a Special Olympian. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to making new friends and having fun together.鈥�

Unified Sports is an integral part of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, which was founded in 2008 as a way to build inclusion and tolerance in schools. Unified Sports are now in more than 4,500 elementary, middle and high schools in the United States. Seventy percent of Unified Champion Schools (Pre-K through Grade 12) are engaging in Unified Sports.  A total of 215 U.S. colleges and universities, including 14 in Michigan, have Special Olympics College Clubs on their campuses, providing ongoing Unified and inclusionary activities for students and Special Olympics athletes.

For its inaugural unified season, the club will meet on Tuesday evenings in the college鈥檚 Dow Center. Hope students and community members will be divided into four teams for a six-week basketball tournament, competing in a fun and inclusive league format. Looking ahead, the group hopes to expand to competitions with other Special Olympics college teams and introduce additional sport seasons throughout the year, such as kickball or soccer. Beyond sports, the vision for Unified Hope includes activities like movie nights and game nights, creating more opportunities to build a strong and connected community.

During the April 7-11 championship week, teams around the country will participate locally within their clubs, organizing events such as basketball, cornhole and fitness events, or social activities like talent shows, crafts and cooking, and then post their events and activities on Instagram to earn points.  The team with the most points at the end of the week will be named the Unified National College Champion.

Members of the community who are eligible to participate in are invited to join, as are Hope students who are interested in being partner members of the club.  Additional information is available on Instagram at @unifiedhope or by emailing unifiedhope@hope.edu.