A child is assisted with shooting a bow and arrow.

Everyone is welcome to enjoy activities including archery, fire building and the climbing wall at SIU’s Special Olympics May 30. Photos provided

May 18, 2026

Celebrate inclusion at Touch of Nature’s Special Olympics Day May 30

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Special Olympics Day is coming to Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center on May 30 and this free, inclusive, community-wide event is open to everyone – regardless of age or ability.

Set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., it will be a fun event for current Special Olympics athletes and coaches, a chance for new participants to learn about the organization’s programming opportunities, and an opportunity for everyone to celebrate inclusion while participating in a wide variety of activities.

It all takes place at Touch of Nature, located about 8 miles south of Carbondale off Giant City Road.

What’s happening

Activities galore are happening on Special Olympics Day, with the vast majority taking place in the great outdoors.

Here’s your chance to join in:

  • Archery. 
  • Fire building.
  • Disc golf.
  • A scavenger hunt.
  • Yard games.
  • Slacklines. 
  • Arts and crafts.
  • Adventure activities, including the giant swing, climbing wall and cargo net tower.

A bar and grill will be serving tasty treats as well. Thanks to First Southern Bank sponsorship, all Special Olympics athletes and people who identify as having a disability can eat for free. Other community members attending can dine using a “pay what you can”/donation-based plan.

Strengthening longtime connections

Organizers, including Touch of Nature staff and Brian and Brittany Fuqua, directors of the Special Olympics Region K, say the goal of Special Olympics Day is to strengthen community connections and increase awareness and participation in Southern Illinois Special Olympics programming.

SIU’s connection to Special Olympics is long and strong – in fact, it all began at SIU more than 50 years ago. The inspirational program – the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities – traces its roots to the pioneering therapeutic recreation work of William Freeberg, the late former chair emeritus of SIU’s Recreation Department.

Freeberg, who was raised in an orphanage and served as a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities, convinced Delyte Morris, the late SIU president, to acquire land in the Shawnee National Forest for Camp Little Giant, the first university-affiliated residential summer camping program for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. At that time, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was holding a backyard summer camp for people with intellectual disabilities but wanted to do more.

Soon, Freeberg became a consultant for the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, tasked with assisting in establishing the Special Olympics. Indeed, Sargent Shriver, who was executive director of the foundation at that time, claimed Freeberg was the only man in the nation with the knowledge and vision to make it happen. Organizers say that legacy comes full circle with SIU’s Special Olympics Day.

Help needed

Volunteers are needed to ensure the event is a big success. Sign up online to lend a hand.