27th Durham Regional Police Children’s Games launches next week

The 27th annual Durham Regional Police Children’s Games will take place at the Pickering Recreation Complex on October 22. This yearly event features children between the ages of six and eighteen who have physical disabilities competing in sports such as basketball, moon ball, golf and wheelchair rugby; from 50-100 children are expected to compete. The games were first conceived in 1985 by a police constable of as a complement to the Toronto Police Service Games which are held every spring.

The day will begin with an official ceremony which will feature speeches from special guests, local government dignitaries and police officials. The athletes will then be introduced and the Chief of Police will open the games. In addition to the games, lunch will be served to all participants and their families by police employees; there will also be games such as a bean bag toss and mini putt golf. The public are welcomed to come and cheer on the participants.

The Durham Regional Police Games rely heavily on volunteers to make sure the event runs smoothly and that all of the athletes will feel important. Promotion of the event guarantees that there will always be enough volunteers willing to help out. The event is heavily promoted in the community and for such an important event local companies will most likely be supplying services such as poster and banner printing to advertise the games.

Events such as this and the Special Olympics are not only important to the participants and the self esteem competition provides them with, they are important to our society as a whole. Unlike in the past when those with physical disabilities were institutionalized or ignored, today they are rightfully treated as contributing members of the community.