Heidi Barneck
Athlete of the Month
Heidi began competing for Special Olympics Colorado in 1997. Since then, she’s competed in basketball, soccer, bocce, and volleyball.
Her favorite Special Olympics Colorado memory was going to New Jersey in 2014 for the Special Olympics USA Games, where she competed with her volleyball team.
Heidi was part of the first group of Special Olympics Colorado Fitness Captains trained in 2018 when the program began. She wanted to become a Fitness Captain so she could advocate for her fellow teammates, as well as lead them through stretches. Her favorite part about being a Fitness Captain is supporting and encouraging her teammates. Heidi is always finding ways to make sure she is the best Fitness Captain she can be. She is also a strong role model for the new fitness captains on her team.
Heidi has also been very active with the Fit 5 Challenge and the Southwest Border Battle Challenge. They’ve motivated her to take more walks and stay active, but she can’t wait to get back on the playing field. “Special Olympics is my life and I can’t wait to get back. I miss playing sports,” said Heidi.
Congratulations, Heidi, on being May’s Athlete of the Month!
Stacey Mitry
Volunteer of the Month
Stacey Mitry is a longtime advocate, volunteer, and coach with Special Olympics. She first began volunteering with her mother when she was a teenager. Years later, she is now sharing that same experience with her own two teenage daughters.
Stacey and her family are always eager to lend a hand and support where there is a need. Recently, the Mitry family made a tremendous impact through virtual volunteering. This past month, they created dozens of handwritten notes, coloring activities, and messages of encouragement for Special Olympics Colorado athletes. They are also conducting interviews and writing feature articles on some of our longtime Games Organizing Committee members.
During her time as a volunteer, Stacey has coached multiple sports, including gymnastics and golf. She and her family have shown their support as event day volunteers at the Young Athlete Camp and as athlete mentors at Athlete Leadership Programs University. They are also proud members of the SOCO Southwest Border Battle challenge!
Stacey shares that one of her favorite experiences with Special Olympics Colorado has been watching her daughters participate as Unified Partners and seeing their understanding of inclusion grow. She shares that her family always feels welcome and valued as important members of the team. On behalf of the SOCO community, we would like to thank Stacey and her family for their incredible support, dedication and positive impact.