DD Awareness Month, March 2014 - “Ability @ Work” basketball game

The Darke County Board of DD and Darke County Special Olympics are partnering to celebrate March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. They will be sponsoring an exhibition of skills game between The Warriors, Slammers and Dawgs Special Olympics basketball teams, but with an added bonus - various elected officials, businesses and community members have been invited to participate alongside the athletes. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this first ever event sponsored by these organizations.

“’Ability @ Work’ is a very appropriate theme for this year’s DD Awareness Month. Our agency supports individuals with developmental disabilities in identifying their unique abilities and talents that contribute to the Darke County community. Whether through employment, community living, or recreation, every individual has potential and is valuable. Focusing on abilities rather than disabilities encourages individuals to be productive and contributing members of their community.” said Mike Beasecker, Superintendent of the Darke County Board of Disabilities.

This event is a great way to kick off the theme this year. It showcases the talent of individuals with developmental disabilities, allowing them to demonstrate their ability to work and play alongside members of the community, and peers, to accomplish many goals while making a contribution to society. The invited guests will be teaming up with members from each team to put their skills to the test.

Versailles School District will host the event on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be held at the Versailles Middle School gym. Admission to the event is free; however, donations of any amount will be accepted with all proceeds going to benefit Darke County Special Olympics.

We encourage people to learn more about the people in this county who have developmental disabilities, and to recognize that all of us have talents and abilities that we can offer to make our community a better place to live. Come out and join the fun for a friendly, entertaining game of basketball. We invite you to consider the true meaning of “Ability @ Work” and help celebrate this integration of Darke County citizens. Please contact the Darke County Board of DD at (937) 548-9057 or email ericl@darkedd.org for more information.