Kelsey Ackerman | Staff Writer

On Thursday, Sept. 18th, citizens with special needs from all over Northwest Iowa gathered at Buena Vista University (BVU) for a fun filled day of crafts and activities. This marks BVU’s second annual Unified Sports Day.

Unified Sports Day is an event that was brought to BVU by two students, Taylor Bowie and Justin Fefjar. Both attended a similar event that was held at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The faculty sponsor is Dr. Beverly Ahern.

This year’s event was a success with an increased amount of attendees compared to last year. Volunteers ranged from coaches to athletes to students.

“Both years the BVU the student body has embraced this opportunity with open arms, high energy, and full engagement. The support from faculty members that allow students to come and take care of our guests is greatly appreciated,” Ahren said.

The event breaks down the different schools and organizations into groups with a team leader and three or four other student volunteers. Each team rotates through activities such as bowling and frisbee toss. The teams also go to arts and crafts and lunch time.

One team leader was Alex Brown, a junior baseball player. Brown also volunteered last year at the event.

“I love helping out students with disabilities. I am an Education Major with a concentration in Special Education. It is so much fun being able to help out and see how much fun the athletes are having. It is really rewarding just seeing the smiles on their faces,” Brown said.

The hope for next year is there are even more participants and more volunteers. The event made improvements on attendance and organization and is looking to keep the trend up.

“A big thanks to the individuals that make this day great for our guests: the student body’s willingness to set up and put away all the tables and serve as partners or team leaders for the day, coaching staff and faculty members that take care of all aspects of the food and serving our guests, and the professors that allow students the time to be a partner. This is why Unified Sports Day at BVU is a good day,” Ahren said.

Photo by Shelby Bradley