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Top: Mike Bogdanski from Quest Martial Arts in Putnam. Above: Taking a run at running. Courtesy photos


April 8 The Arc Quinebaug Valley and Northeast Opportunities for Wellness (NOW) hosted the 2nd Annual Spectrum of Sports event at Killingly High School. This inclusive sports clinic and resource fair was open to children ages 7 - 15 of all abilities and featured a variety of sports skill stations as well as a vendor fair offering a range of health and wellness resources.
For the 2018 event, 25 children participated in an afternoon of activities that included basketball, karate, running, soccer, yoga, and a nutrition lesson. During the clinic, parents and guardians visited a resource fair, with several community organizations represented, including: The Arc Quinebaug Valley, NOW, United Services, Inc., UConn Kids in Developmental Science, Community Health Resources, Special Olympics Connecticut, Special Olympics Team Quinebaug Valley, Special Olympics Team Plainfield, and Infinity Music Therapy Services.
Visitors to the resource fair were welcomed to enjoy refreshments and were entered in a raffle for a gift basket courtesy of The Arc & NOW. The winner of the gift basket was Illenys Martinez of Danielson, who brought her daughter to participate in the clinic.
The clinic portion of the event featured skill stations in several sports, including a basketball station supported by Coach Tom Espinosa and Putnam Science Academy athletes, a soccer station with Coach Erica O’Brien and players from NECONN Soccer, a karate station with Master Mike Bogdanski of Quest Martial Arts, a running station with coach Beth Ten Eyck and TMHS Track & Field athletes, and a yoga station run by NOW Fitness Leader Kristen Rukstela. In addition, NOW Programming Coordinator Kelsey Quinn ran a nutrition activity with clementine oranges for participants to snack on.
NOW Executive Director Sarah Wolfburg commented, “This event is a great example of collaboration with so many community agencies, organizations and volunteers coming together for the common goal of youth wellness and inclusion. We are so grateful for NOW’s continued partnership with The Arc, this event is a true reflection of how our missions align.”  
Susan Desrosiers, executive director of The Arc Quinebaug Valley, said: “This event provides The Arc much joy in helping to bring children of all abilities together for a healthy and fun experience! Thank you to everyone who helped make this clinic a success!”