LACONIA — Laconia, Meredith and Belmont Knights of Columbus Councils hosted their last fall practice of the Special Olympics Young Athletes Program on Dec. 20. They had special guests State Deputy Mark Messier, Grand Knight of Belmont Council Aarron Clark, and Grand Knight of Meredith Council Winston Savage present all 13 athletes with their awards and medals.
Additionally the respective councils donated Christmas gifts to each athlete and Santa made sure to stop by to deliver them. The Young Athletes Program is a weekly, one hour, sports play activities program for children ages 2 to 7, with and without disabilities.
The program engages children through developmentally appropriate play activities, involving gross and fine motor skills designed to allow children to be active, have fun, and learn foundational sports skills. Studies have shown athletes participating in the Young Athletes Program can make seven to nine months of developmental improvements in two months.
The Knights of Columbus offer fall, winter and spring terms. Each term is eight weeks long. Young Athletes is offered free of charge to families and is limited to 15 registered athletes. All practices are held at St. Andre Bessette Parish Hall in Laconia. They will begin the 2026 winter term in the beginning of January.
To register or volunteer, contact Don Basso at donaldbasso29@gmail.com.
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