Countywide : 840 Athletes Take Part in Faley Games

An enthusiastic high five awaited a smiling Leah Levi as she crossed the 50-yard dash finish line Friday.

Leah, 7, was among 840 developmentally disabled students from throughout Orange County who participated in the ninth annual Kathleen E. Faley Memorial Special Games at Cal State Fullerton. The games--where everyone is a winner--are named in honor of Kathleen Faley, who died in a car accident eight years ago.

“They all get hugs and blue ribbons,” said Jack Faley, who organizes the games each year in memory of his daughter. It was her suggestion in 1986 that inspired her brother, Dan, to start the games as a class project.

While Jack Faley and his family organize the games, volunteers, businesses and corporations help make the day a success. “We all get an exhilarating feeling,” said Faley, of Placentia.

The excitement was especially high for the athletes.

Jenny Rodriguez, a 14-year-old special education student at Dale Junior High School in Anaheim, threw a softball at a target with all her might while seated in her wheelchair. She hit the target and gave a wide grin.

“I never did that before,” she said. “It felt pretty good.”

Volunteers also expressed satisfaction. Charlotte Vera, an 18-year-old Rosary High School student volunteer from Fullerton, spent the day screaming, “Good job!” as the youngsters completed their races.

“I love to see these kids so happy,” Vera said. “They’re just like us. There’s no difference. We’re all kids at heart.”

Other volunteers, which included high school and college students from throughout the county, agreed. “It doesn’t matter who you are, kids like this need to have attention paid to them because they really are special,” said Ray Martinez, 17, a volunteer and Troy High School student from Fullerton.

Teachers who accompanied the athletes said the event gave their students a boost in self-esteem.

“These kids really do love competition but there’s very few opportunities for them to compete,” said Kay Elliott, a special education instructor from John O. Tynes Elementary School in Placentia.

Mike Frazier, a special-education teacher from Anaheim, cheered loudly as his students shot basketballs. “They’re having loads of fun and they get to interact with other students, disabled and not.”

There were 90 participants in the first year, and Faley said he expects more than 1,000 next year.

“It just keeps growing every year,” said Paul Miller, Cal State Fullerton’s director of disabled student services. “It’s a really terrific outpouring of love and support for a very special group of our community.”

Added Faley: “This is what it’s all about, why we were put here on Earth: to help other people.”