Wednesday, October 8, 2003
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Wednesday, October 8, 2003 |
Trip to Ireland a special experience
One might call their recent trip to Dublin, Ireland, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but Suzanne Fields and Cynthia Scarborough hope it wasn't. They'd like to do it again. The Fayetteville women, who are consumers of the Fayette Service Center, represented Georgia at the 2003 World Special Olympics in June. The two-week excursion was their first overseas journey, and they returned with memories of first-time experiences, exciting competition and new friends from all over the world. Fields and Scarborough have been participating in Special Olympics for years, specializing in the sports of badminton, bocce and bowling. They compete annually at the statewide games on the campus of Emory University. They were nominated by the local Special Olympics committee in Fayetteville and selected by the Georgia Special Olympics organization to be among the athletes representing the state at the international competition. The Fayette Service Center is a division of the McIntosh Trail Community Service Board, which provides mental health, developmental disabilities and addictive disease disability services. Dean Roach, director of the center, said Fields and Scarborough were ideal ambassadors for Fayette County and Georgia because "they are perfect examples of the consumers we serve. They are very important to our community. They participate in activities, they work, they earn money, save money, spend money. They do the things in our community that everyone else does." Fields and Scarborough each take part in one of the center's employment programs. Fields works five days a week in the center's Day Support program, doing contract work for local companies. Scarborough, meanwhile, works three days a week at Wal-Mart through the center's Supported Employment program. "They are loyal employees," Roach said. "They hardly ever miss work. Their employers really get a good deal. Every employment survey that we have sent out always comes back with excellent reviews. Quite often, we have a new business that comes into the community, and they call us. We've had many of our consumers to find jobs that way, because these businesses have heard we have good employees." Roach noted, for instance, that Scarborough was the senior staff member at Burger King before moving to Wal-Mart. "Cynthia's like a lot of us in our careers," Roach said. "She was ready for a new experience." The center has also assisted Fields and Scarborough in their living arrangements. Scarborough participates in McIntosh Trail's independent living program, sharing an apartment with a roommate. Fields lives in a private group home. This independence was valuable to them in their new role as world travelers when they flew from Atlanta to Orlando for the first leg of their trip. Once they were across the Atlantic Ocean, they practiced their badminton for a week while becoming acquainted with other Special Olympics athletes from around the world. In Ireland, they participated in the Opening Ceremonies before making their way to the badminton courts. But it wasn't all work and no play. There were sights to see, fine meals to enjoy, stores to shop and, it seemed, one party after another to attend. "This is the first time they had done anything like this," said Grace Scarborough, Cynthia's mother, who joined them for the second week of the trip. "They were well treated, and the security was wonderful. The people in Dublin were great; they were glad to have the Olympics there." Whether or not another trip to the international games is in their future, Fields and Scarborough are continuing their Special Olympics pursuits. Last month, they were scheduled to play bocce, a form of bowling, at a competition in Macon, and another event is planned for this month. They practice every week at the Fayette County Recreation Center. When asked their favorite memories from their trip to Ireland, Fields responded, "Good food." Scarborough said it was "meeting lots of other people." To Grace Scarborough, the experience was a dream come true for her daughter and her friend, stating, "I never dreamed they'd have the opportunity to do anything like that."
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