Businessolver and its employees have been working diligently during Quarter 1 to support Special Olympics. This amazing organization is especially close to Businessolver AVP of Client Services, Paul Sodders. His son Tye is a Special Olympics Gold and Silver Medalist and has had an amazing journey that we simply had to share.

To fully understand Tye’s journey, I need to take you back to the beginning.

“Tye was born 8 weeks prematurely. He was no bigger than my hand and weighed about the same as a half-gallon of milk. Health problems came early on and at the age of six months, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Immediately, we began to have speech, occupational, and physical therapists come into our home on a daily basis to work with him. We were informed that Tye was triplegic. He would have fairly good use of his right arm, but none of the other extremities would ever “work”. We were told he would never walk, talk, or be able to take care of himself.

Tye is now 14 years-old. We are blessed that he has a limited vocabulary and is able to communicate some of his needs. When he started middle school, we learned that the teacher involved all of the students in the special education classroom in Special Olympics. Our introduction to Special Olympics was such a blessing!

My family has spent our entire lives being told what Tye can’t do. He is now a gold medalist in electric wheelchair racing and a silver medalist in the tennis ball throw. The pure joy on his face when he is practicing and competing for the Special Olympics is something to behold. We feel very fortunate that he gets this opportunity… He loves every minute of it.

Imagine taking Tye’s joy and multiply it by a thousand when you consider all of the Special Olympic athletes in our state. You can contribute to helping my son and all of his special teammates continue to have these special experiences. Special Olympics of Iowa cannot continue to provide special memories for families like mine without your support.”

Take some time to learn about the events and opportunities in your area. Special Olympics has athletes in nearly every community across the country. Get involved. You won’t regret it.