My title is Bennett Townley, I’m an athlete and workers member with Particular Olympics Vermont.
I’ve had the privilege to work with Dr. Susan Kasser since 2015 within the Unified Health Program at UVM, and I’ve had the chance to interview her about her work expertise, school training, and her time volunteering with Particular Olympics applications from completely different states, together with the unique Chicago Program that began all of it!
She has volunteered with 3 completely different Particular Olympics Packages, beginning in 1981 with Particular Olympics New Hampshire (SONH). She then moved to do extra education out in Chicago, which is the birthplace of the unique Particular Olympics Program, and she or he acquired to see athletes that have been within the first practices again within the 12 months 1967! Within the early 2000s, she moved as much as our house state of Vermont, beginning with a health program within the previous Trinity Campus Gymnasium. She has gone above and past together with her efforts to make lodging and educate us, our households, and the neighborhood about the right way to promote well being in our inhabitants.
Personally, I’ve identified Dr. Susan Kasser since fall of 2015, which was the primary 12 months she began Unified Health on the Rowell Constructing at UVM. At the moment, I used to be solely doing common aggressive sports activities on Conventional Groups. I did Bocce and bowling with Unified UCS Sports activities and Wholesome Athletes. I used to be by no means a child who preferred to work out for the reason that different excessive schoolers at my previous highschool would chuckle at me since I wasn’t very robust and I couldn’t bodily do a number of the health that they did in Private Health. Nevertheless, I made a decision to attempt figuring out with the Rehab College students within the new Unified Health Program run by Dr. Susan Kasser, because the Particular Olympics is much more accommodating than highschool sports activities and P.E. lessons.
In her class, I nonetheless struggled with a number of the workout routines, however she would train my accomplice the right way to simplify and/or accommodate the train so I might do it. She additionally didn’t have the strict necessities that college needed to cross the category, the place I needed to meet a sure variety of workout routines in a repetition or must run a 15-minute mile, and many others. She didn’t care how dangerous I may need regarded or carried out, however she did care about how a lot effort I put in and that I attempted new issues, even when they have been difficult. She completely labored with the values of our Athlete Oath, “Let me Win, But when I can’t Win, Let me be Courageous within the Try!”
At Particular Olympics Vermont’s 2025 Summer season Video games, we have now taken time to honor Dr. Susan Kasser with the Golisano Well being Management Award together with Dr. Dorothy Brodmann. The Golisano Well being Management Awards are particular awards which can be the very best Particular Olympics honor for well being companions to acknowledge well being champions—leaders and organizations—which can be making a major contribution to equal entry to well being, health, or wellness for folks with mental disabilities in our neighborhood. This award additionally promotes consciousness for the progress and extraordinary efforts towards fulfilling the targets, values, and mission of Particular Olympics Well being programming.
Thanks, Dr. Susan Kasser, for going above and past doing what you’ve gotten carried out for me and my fellow athletes.
