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GERMAN-AMERICAN SPECIAL OLYMPICS 2000Six forty-five comes early in the morning!That's when we (5 Solomon Lodge Brothers and 2 family volunteers) met at Robinson Barracks to car pool to Darmstadt to do our part to assist in this year’s German-American Special Olympic Games. The early morning hour gave all indications that it would be a long hard day, with gray skies, a chill in the air, the weatherman predicting rain, and several folks with the early morning, coffee-starved blahs. One of the 'smart alecks' (we have several) in our group tried to make light of the subject by exclaiming, "we're gonna have fun today!" but Beth, the daughter of one of our Solomon Brothers in the car pool, said in a flat, challenging tone, "don't bet on it!" Beth is 13 and didn't at all appreciate (along with some of the rest of us) having to get up that early. I, having once before helped in Special Olympics, decided to watch Beth that day to see if and when her mood would change. The ride was long, with the rain and stau not helping. We finally arrived shortly after 9:30, but we had little time to socialize, for the Games were to start promptly at 10:00. Solomon Lodge was assigned the obstacle course that was situated at the far end of the stadium, meaning we had to get our ducks in a row quickly! The national anthems played, four paratroopers jumped in, and the Games began. In the meantime, Beth met Brook, a young lady about the same age, and the two of them seemed to hit it off quite well. It was a good thing, too, for when the onslaught of young participants came the two of them were kept very busy helping our Special Olympians step through the tires that were the start of our course. The remaining obstacles consisted of plastic, up-and-down steps, a 4X4 wooden cross-country track hurdle, and large, open building blocks for the kids to crawl through. At the end each child was presented with a ribbon (the color of their choice), adding to the many that were already pinned to their chests. With over a dozen events and a break for lunch, most of the kids didn’t leave until 13:00. It was indeed fun and I'm not quite sure who got the most out of it, the kids or us! The 900 German and American participants required help from over 30 sponsors. The combined efforts of our ACGL and the Joint Prince Hall Masonic Council of Europe were the largest donators of funds and people, exceeding the others by far. It was truly an historic first -- American Masons in Europe uniting to help others! Every child and sponsor were wearing a T-shirt with the logo "Masons in Germany Care - Youth are our Future" which also showed our beloved Square and Compasses! It was quite a sight, one of which I am definitely proud to have been a part. Our Grand Master and the Joint Prince Hall Masonic Council of Europe declared this to be the first of a continuing annual event for American Masons in Europe. RWBro Roland Meder has also piqued the interests of our German Grand Lodge counterparts, and hopes to enlist their aid for future Games. Imagine the entire German, American, Canadian and British Freemasonry resources throughout Germany joined for the best of causes – to show our Special Olympians that we care! I'm convinced one of the reasons these are called Special Olympics is because those kids are very special. These young folks (they ranged in age from about 6 to 15) can give love like no one else can. The sheer joy of participating, being with others, and of being rewarded for their efforts shows on every rosy cheek, in every glistening eye, and with every ear-to-ear grin. Their appreciation will warm many a cold heart! If you ever get the chance to participate in Special Olympic Games I urge you to take a day off and do it, even if it means a day of vacation, for it will be one of the most rewarding days of your life. By the way, Beth never admitted to having fun -- but she did admit to enjoying the day! Jim Richie PGM The special Olympics "My Special Experience" Tumble out of bed at five thirty in the morning! Wolf down my breakfast before driving. The sky is still overcast. The drive to Darmstadt was not easy. Stop and go all over the autobahn. We reach there in time as per the suggestion in the organizer’s sheet and find a parking place in at the stadium. Hey! the whole place seems to be full of Masons. ACGL and Prince Hall Masons are there (at least over 125 brethren). They have set up the registration booth as well as the coffee and donut tent. Our boss for the day VW Bro. Don Martin assigns us to a German school because we can speak the language. The kids have not yet arrived. We wait with the rest of the volunteers assigned to the school and chew the fat with the brethren assigned to this school (around 25 Brethren from the ACGL) for the kids. The kids arrive with their teachers. We cheer them on their arrival. One of the teachers hands me a 10 years old boy and asks me if can get along with young children. "Well I can", is my reply "I have three of them at home". Oliver is a Mongoloid child, very loving and quiet. I take his hand and we wait for the national anthems and the official opening speeches to end. In the corner of my eye, I watch my better half looking after a little seven year old girl. They disappear in the crowd. I concentrate on Oliver. One of the brethren hands him a balloon. We sit down and have a small snack of fruit and drink some iced tea. Let’s go over to the tricycle race! Oliver stays glued on his trike. He has not won, but the pride of completing is overwhelming. He gets a ribbon pinned on. We go on from game to game. Oliver’s chest gathers more ribbons than a Russian general. It appears that more brethren turn up here than at Grand Lodge. A few brethren such as Bro. Andy who supports the Demolay Boys are dressed as clowns and circulate among the participants. Every body seems to be either enjoying himself or/and being in tow of a young him or her. I take Oliver to the bathroom. After he finished, we go to a quiet place among the bleachers and sit down to eat. After he has eaten, he starts to run up and down the bleachers. I follow, panting, tongue hanging out. Taking care of youngsters is not easy. The loudspeakers announce that the kids should go back to their school groups for lunch. I grab him by the hand and charge back to the school group. We sit down and Ollie has lunch. The school bus arrives. We escort the kids back to the bus. The teacher says " Ollie say goodbye. Shake the hand of the nice man who looked after you today". Ollie shakes his head, wraps his arms around me, hugs me and kisses my cheek. The teacher looks a bit surprised and says " Mongoloid children express what they feel." I don’t say anything, swallow the lump in my throat and tousle Ollie’s hair. He gets into the bus and waves at me. The bus departs and I see my wife waving at the bus with tears in her eyes. We say goodbye to the brethren who have been the organizers of this happening and get into the car. On the way back my better half says " I would rather have these three hours once more than winning a million marks in a lottery." Brother Pat Click on the thumbnails to display the pictures
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