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'It's all about inclusion': East Texas athletes take part in Special Olympics event

“The athletes that come out here, no matter how tired they are, they always have a smile. They love participating,”

LONGVIEW, Texas — Cari Hoefer always sees one thing at Special Olympics events: smiles on participants’ faces.

“The athletes that come out here, no matter how tired they are, they always have a smile. They love participating,” said Hoefer, a parent of one of the 350-plus Special Olympics athletes assembled Saturday at Pine Tree’s Pirate Stadium in Longview. “It’s all about inclusion.”

Hoefer’s sentiment was shared by nearly all volunteers, parents and participants at Saturday’s Special Olympics Area 7 games. At any given moment, smiles flashed and dances broke out to music thumping on the stadium speaker system.

Read more from our news partner, the Longview News-Journal. 

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