Every child deserves the opportunity to have fun, meet friends, and have some friendly competition. On June 6th, RISE Community Services is offering just that to those with special needs. The RISE To The Finish Special Olympics gives children a chance to compete in track and field running, walking, and throwing events amongst their peers. Executive Director at RISE, Misty Miller, says this event will allow everyone to show what they can do.
“This is an inclusive opportunity for those in Henry County and obviously even surrounding areas in Johnson County to come out and showcase their athletic abilities during a morning of fun. We wanted to create an opportunity that allowed the citizens of Henry County of all ages to come out and showcase their abilities” Miller said.
Participants can also participate in the fun zone, which offers non-competitive activities. This is the first event RISE has hosted in Henry County, but Miller says she is hoping to host many more. She says the county has a need for some of the services RISE can provide.
“So we’ve just known that there is a need for some of the services that RISE provides. We want to be able to offer an extension of our services to those in Henry County so that the folks can have opportunities within their own communities and not have to travel so far to experience or be part of different events or services. That’s kind of where our main focus has been, and with Henry County, we know that there’s an unmet need there for some services” Miller said.
The team over at RISE does whatever it can to help those in the communities they serve. Miller has been doing this for 18 years and says giving people a chance to live a happier life is all the motivation she needs.
“I just kind of had a vision of people living their perfect life. Being able to be part of creating the opportunities, investing in people, and meeting those needs has been a huge driver of mine” Miller said.
RISE offers many services to those who need them, not just community events. Just recently, RISE has started offering programs to help participants with their employment.
“One of the big things that actually started this week is our summer work experience program, which we have partnered with the Golden Valley Memorial Hospital and Price Cutters. So you’ll see students working alongside a job coach at those facilities,” Miller said.
They also help with job discovery and offer day programs that involve the groups and help with community networking. Miller also hopes to offer transportation services and maybe some residential services to Henry County in the near future. She says RISE just wants to provide support for whatever needs come up.
“When it comes to work and play, or live and engage in your community, we are here to support whatever the person needs to fulfill their most perfect life in whatever way they define it” Miller said.
A majority of the services at RISE are paid for through the state by Medicaid. However, they do take measures to ensure everyone can afford their services, even if they don’t qualify for Medicaid.
“We have the RISE scholarship. So, we do fundraisers every year that raise funds internally so that we can support people who maybe can’t access funds through Medicaid or other funding sources. We raise money ideally to invest in the individual so that they can start services sooner, or to close the gap,” Miller said.
RISE plans to offer many different services in Henry County, but first, they are encouraging people in the community to stop by the Special Olympics and cheer on the athletes. The competition is from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on June 6th at the Clinton Middle School, with the awards ceremony expected to start at 11:30 a.m. If anyone wants to compete, you can sign up through the RISE Facebook page or simply register at the event.
