Yesterday, Camp Courageous and Special Olympics Iowa partnered together to host Unified Sports Day at Camp Courageous!

More than 120 athletes, buddies, volunteers and staff came together for a morning filled with sports, challenge and celebration. Even a change in weather couldn’t slow down the day!

The event kicked off at 9:30 a.m. with athletes registering for the day, followed by an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. with the National Anthem and Special Olympics oath. From there, athletes, their buddies, volunteers and coaches divided into teams for soccer, bowling, cornhole, ribbon dancing, parachute games and bocce ball!

Adult campers attending Camp Courageous’ weeklong session joined Special Olympics teams, including Linn-Mar and Western Dubuque schools, for a morning of excitement and challenge.

Following the sports activities, athletes came together for a closing ceremony and medals before enjoying a well-earned grilled lunch of burgers and hot dogs, salads, cookies and lemonade after all the hard work they put into the morning.

A special thanks to Abi McGlynn, Special Programs Coordinator with Special Olympics Iowa, for all of her precision and attention to detail both leading up to and throughout the event to ensure everything ran smoothly—even with Mother Nature changing the plans a bit!

Thankfully, Camp Courageous is fortunate to have multipurpose indoor facilities that could accommodate more than 120 athletes, volunteers and staff, ensuring the day was a success for all—and everyone stayed dry!

If you weren’t able to make the event and would like to be part of it next year, keep an eye out for the date on Camp’s 2027 Camper Schedule, which will be released in late October!