This past month marked an exciting Summer Games for Special Olympics of Hawaii as they celebrated their 50th
year of competition. Over 1,100 athletes from across the State came together to participate in a weekend of events including powerlifting, softball, swimming, and track & field.

To compete in the Summer Games, athletes are tasked with meeting numerous requirements. Starting with training in February, they must complete a season-long training program, meet their delegation, Area, and State training standards, and participate in a qualifying competition in that sport to advance to the Summer Games.

Festivities for the weekend began with the opening ceremony and traditional Troy Barboza Torch Run, where the Flame of Hope was ignited to signify the start of the games. This kick-off was followed by ongoing team races and competitions throughout Saturday and Sunday on the U.H. T.C. Ching Field and Practice Fields.

Team Servco volunteers assisted the track & fields awards tents, where we were provided the opportunity to celebrate each athlete’s accomplishments and recognize them for their hard work. Awards were presented to every athlete by Honolulu Police Officers, as they stood atop the podium and were cheered on by all their fans and supporters.

This year, Servco was also invited to participate in the Coaches Race for the first time. The team consisted of a mix of UH athletes, including a football cornerback and volleyball center, and a couple salespeople from Servco Toyota Honolulu.

Special thanks to Haylee Faustin and David Bareng for doing an awesome job coordinating this year’s volunteer efforts and partnership with Special Olympics Hawaii. And a big mahalo to all the Team Servco
members that came out to support all the athletes!