We would like to nominate Maggie Trayah as a 2015 Community Champion. Maggie is a long-time volunteer coach for Special Olympics Vermont, Chittenden Division. She coaches swimming, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and soccer. As a coach she works with the program coordinators to plan each season and devotes time from her weekends and evenings year-round to collaborate with other coaches, encourage and teach athletes of all ages and ability levels, and lead practices. She often goes above and beyond this volunteer role, assisting athletes with transportation to and from practices. Many of Maggie’s athletes live in Milton and she contributes to these residents’ wellbeing by encouraging physical activity, healthy life-style choices, and inclusion in a group and in the larger community. Volunteering with Special Olympics is a community service that allows social opportunities, chances for athletes to improve fitness, coordination, and self-esteem, and encouragement of sportsmanship and collaboration for individuals who often do not get a chance to shine. Without volunteer coaches like Maggie, the program would not run, and many Milton residents and their families with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders would not have opportunities to swim, bowl, ski, and participate in other athletic activities at no cost to them. The rest of the Milton community would miss out on the confidence these athletes gain, a confidence that allows them to be stronger, healthier and more positive contributors to our community.
Christian Georges, a Milton resident and one of her swimmers, has this to say about Maggie: “My favorite thing about Maggie is that she takes time to teach me how to swim. She always says I do a good job and makes me want to try harder. She stays in the water with me if I am tired so I don’t give up. She says ‘Keep on trying! You are doing a good job! Keep on trying!’ She is a wonderful swimming teacher and we love her!” Jill, another athlete who has been on Maggie’s snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and swim teams says, “She is a good snowshoeing teacher and cross-country skiing teacher and swimming teacher. She is nice. I trust her and I want to make her proud of me!” As fans of Special Olympics Vermont and caregivers to an athlete, we see her dedication and the respect the athletes have for her at every practice and competition. Maggie is genuine and kind, and from our observations we are sure the quotes from the athletes above are sentiments most of the athletes share. Maggie embodies and models the Special Olympics oath “Let me win. But if cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt” for her athletes, their caregivers, and our community. For these reasons we nominate her as a 2015 Milton Community Champion.
Christian Georges, Leigh Thackaberry, and Julia Kimball
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