Page 6 - Volume 15 Number 12

Textron Aviation aircraft will trans- port Special Olympics athletes and their coaches to and from the USA games, this year located in Orlando, Florida. Many athletes have never flown on an airplane before which makes attending the games that more special.
The Need
“Traveling to Orlando for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games may be the first time some of our athletes ever leave their hometown, let alone fly on an airplane,” Tony Wyllie, regional president of Special Olympics North America, said in a news release announcing the airlift. “The travel experience provided by Textron Aviation and its customers will be the ultimate bookends for one unforgettable week.”
Special Olympics uses year-round sports training and athletic competition to help children and adults with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths
and abilities, skills and success while championing for a more inclusive world.
All expenses – from facilities during training to meals and lodging during competition – are paid for by Special Olympics in hopes that no one is left on the sideline due to an inability to pay. Travel is one of the largest expenses for state programs sending athletes to the USA Games, which take place every four years in different locations throughout the country.
The tradition of the airlift started in 1985, when Wichita, Kansas-headquartered Cessna informally transported the Special Olympics Kansas delegation in two Cessna
4 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2021