Residents and visitors will notice a hint of red this week in downtown Coquitlam and Town Centre Park.
The Special Olympics Global Week of Inclusion begins today (July 18) in an annual celebration of Tri-Cities athletes, while encouraging the public to be more inclusive for those living with intellectual disabilities.
Coquitlam is throwing its support behind local and regional Special Olympians by lighting up two landmarks red on Wednesday night (July 20).
- Lafarge Lake fountain
- Guildford Way columns
Other attractions turning red this week include BC Place, the Canada Place sails, Science World and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Even before COVID-19, Special Olympics BC (SOBC) tells the Tri-City News many athletes had felt isolated from everyday activities.
The organization says it's been widely known that most people with intellectual disabilities are often "left out" on the playground, in the workplace and from something as simple as a normal conversation.
The Global Week of Inclusion aims to curb exclusion in reminding that even the simpliest actions can change someone's future.
"Before Special Olympics, I didn’t have many friends and had trouble making friends. I often felt left out and excluded because of my differences," explains SOBC athlete Ashley Adie in a statement.
"Special Olympics made me feel awesome and comfortable in my own skin. The athletes and coaches helped me realize my potential and the value of being on a team. They saw, and helped me to see, the ability I didn’t see in myself."
And some of the Tri-Cities' Special Olympians are even counting on their own communities for continued support as they prepare for upcoming competitions.
In January, snowshoers Ariel Taylor and Lindsey Aarstad, as well as alpine skier Fiona Hall, were granted an extra year to train and prepare for the 2023 World Winter Games after the then state of the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation this year.
Taylor brought home three medals — a gold, silver and bronze — from the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ont., in February 2020 to officially qualify for the games.
Aarstad earned two golds and a silver at nationals in a Team B.C. vest, while Hall rushed down the hills to two bronze medals in the giant slalom and advanced slalom.
This will be each athlete's first time representing Canada on the world stage after starting out as members of SOBC's Coquitlam branch.
The World Winter Games is set to take place Jan. 21 to 27, 2023. However, it's unclear if the schedule will change as Special Olympics decided to pull the event from Kazan, Russia, amid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
As well, Coquitlam swimmer Witchy Meza Del Angel is set to compete at the 2022 BC Summer Games in Prince George starting Thursday (July 21).
In addition to the Coquitlam's contribution to the Global Week of Inclusion, running now until July 24, interested residents are asked to consider either donating to SOBC or volunteering with its programs.
For more information about the initiative, you can visit SOBC's website.
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