2026 Healthy Athletes: Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games

Healthy Athletes

Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® is dedicated to providing accessible, evidence-based person-centered health screenings and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in a welcoming, fun environment.  Since its inception in 1997, the Healthy Athletes program has delivered over 2 million free health screenings and In 2024 alone, Special Olympics Programs worldwide conducted 98,619 Healthy Athletes screenings. From these screenings, Programs reported 4,046 urgent and 19,077 non-urgent referrals for follow-up care due to health concerns or preventable risks identified during screenings.

The program offers nine distinct health screening disciplines to meet the specific health and wellness needs of Special Olympics athletes and individuals with IDD across the lifespan and we are able to offer six of those at Summer Games:

• Opening Eyes (vision/eye health)
• Healthy Hearing (audiology)
• Special Smiles (dentistry)
• Health Promotion (prevention and nutrition)
• FUNfitness (physical therapy)
• Fit Feet (podiatry)

The impact of these screenings on the health and wellness of Special Olympics athletes around the world is significant. Healthy Athletes has discovered undetected health problems, alleviated pain and provided health services that otherwise would not be available.

Healthy Athletes is not only a program for athletes but, through training and hands-on experience at screenings, it is a program for healthcare students and professionals to increase knowledge of best practices in caring for and communicating with individuals with IDD.

Location: Maize South High School

Address: 3701 N Tyler Rd, Wichita, KS 67205

 Itinerary

Official screenings will run from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST on 6/6. No athletes will be accepted prior, but exceptions may be made in certain cases for slightly after 3:00 PM. **Opening Eyes set up shifts are also available from 6 - 8pm on 6/5**

DETAILS FOR Saturday, June 6th:

• We ask that ALL volunteers arrive at 8:30 AM for trainings before the event begins with the exception of Opening Eyes volunteers, who should plan to arrive at 9:15 AM
• Please report to the Healthy Athletes Volunteer Check-in table outside the Southeast entrance upon arriving to Maize South High School.  Screenings will be performed IN the high school building. 
• Breakfast to be provided for all volunteers.
• Individual box lunches to be provided at approximately 12:30 PM for all volunteers. Please indicate food allergies when registering. You will be directed by your Clinical Director to break for lunch in shifts and during slow periods. 
• Breakdown and clean-up to begin at 3:00 PM. You may leave once your area of necessary items are safely and securely packed away how you found them. Please also keep in mind, much of our equipment is costly and we have worked hard as a nonprofit to obtain such, so treat and pack equipment kindly.

 *Please still register even if you are not able to stay the entirety of your shift. Simply reach out to Rhae and/or your respective Clinical Director(s)*

We are gearing up for the biggest event of the year, set to host over 1,200 athletes from across the state, and we are looking to serve as many of them as possible across the various Healthy Athlete disciplines.

We are calling on volunteers like you to join us in this day of giving that promises to be unforgettable. It's the only day of the year when all 7 of these Healthy Athlete disciplines unite to screen athletes at our grandest event. Together, we have the opportunity to ensure that these athletes have a great experience while making an immediate impact on their overall health.

Feel free to email the Health Programs Coordinator, Rhae Burt, at burtr@soks.org with any questions or concerns.