When Alex Adams first became involved with the Special Olympics Rhode Island, they recalled feeling “very shy” because they “didn’t know many people.”
Adams first joined the bowling team, where they soon warmed up to the other program participants, forming several close friendships. Since joining SORI, they haven’t slowed down, competing in track and field, softball, flag football, bowling, cornhole and cheerleading.
Adams is not alone in finding community in SORI. They are among the over 4000 athletes who participate in the organization’s programs in over 20 sports, which are for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Athletes graduate from the Athlete Leadership University. Media courtesy of Phlash Fotography and Artistry.
This year, SORI’s annual Summer Games, the group’s largest event of the year, featured competitions in sports like soccer, powerlifting and swimming alongside interactive events and health screenings.
Last month, Adams had the opportunity to co-emcee the Opening Ceremony of the Fall Festival at Bryant University, a competition hosting over 300 athletes in partnership with SORI.
“That was really, really fun,” Adams said. “I don’t typically like to talk in front of a lot of people, so doing that definitely upped my confidence.”
For 22-year SORI athlete Ryan Avedisian, “Special Olympics really is like a family.” He cherishes the gold medals he has won these past two decades, as well as the friendships he has built across the state via SORI programs in bowling, swimming, croquet, track and field, basketball, flag football, softball, volleyball and powerlifting.
The nonprofit also organizes year-round leadership training in addition to their athletic programming, which encourages athletes to “be a voice at the table,” SORI President and CEO Ed Pacheco said.
“We’re putting opportunities in front of athletes to step up, to be leaders, to be spokespersons,” Pacheco added.
Many former and current athletes have trickled into SORI’s educational programs, including the Athlete Leadership University — a series of courses that prepares athletes to take on various leadership positions in the nonprofit.
At ALU, Adams chose to become a health messenger — an advocate who focuses “on healthy eating, mental health and keeping our bodies moving.” They developed a capstone project “about stretches that were good for our bodies” and went on to teach three stretching classes at the 2024 Summer Games, which was “really amazing,” Adams said.
When Roxanne Baligian started dating her now-husband Mike Baligian, she didn’t expect to become his co-coach for the Lincoln North Stars Special Olympics team.
The Cranston Cyclones is one of Special Olympics Rhode Island's teams. Media courtesy of Alex Adams.
Now, she proudly describes herself as a “mama bear” and the athletes on their team as her “second family.” The couple even invited their athletes to their wedding.
For Pacheco, becoming president and CEO of Special Olympics Rhode Island was “the best professional decision” he’s ever made.
“I’m convinced every single day that I get something much more meaningful back threefold, which is the amazing love, friendship and community that we’re building here at this organization,” he said.
The athletes have “taught me a lot more than I teach them,” Mike Baligian said, highlighting the joy of witnessing athletes’ personal achievements.
He recalled the story of one SORI participant who spent “the better part of two years training for basketball, playing basketball and never scored a basket.”
When the athlete scored her first basket, she ran down the court and gave Baligian “the biggest giant hug in the middle of (the) basketball game.”
It was “one of the greatest things I've ever experienced,” he said, adding that this athlete is now on the Special Olympics Board of Directors.
For Baligian, these feel-good experiences are what keep volunteers coming back to SORI — a 13-employee organization that relies on a network of almost 4000 volunteers to help with coaching and administration.
“Once we get them in our midst, we don’t tend to lose them,” he said.
Pacheco compared his favorite memories at SORI to five-second feel-good videos on social media. For him, working with Special Olympics athletes has meant experiencing these moments in real life.
These athletes “show us every single day what humanity is all about,” he said.
Correction: A previous version of this article mischaracterized Adams’s involvement in SORI’s Fall Festival, incorrectly attributed photo courtesies and incorrectly stated the number of SORI volunteers. An additional update was made to distinguish comments made by Mike Baligian from comments made by Roxanne Baligian. The Herald regrets these errors.
Dennis Carey is a Sports editor who enjoys playing volleyball, listening to and collecting vinyl records and poorly playing the guitar in his spare time.
Megan is a Senior Staff Writer covering community and activism in Providence. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she spends her free time drinking coffee and wishing she was Meg Ryan in a Nora Ephron movie.
