Special athletes honored

Joannie Jaxtimer (left) with her son, Michael, Tim Shriver, Jay Nothnagle of Scituate, and Liz Page of Milton.

Being the parent of a special-needs child can be a blessing. That's how Joanne Jaxtimer and her husband, Michael Barry, look at it. The Milton couple are the parents of Michael Barry-Jaxtimer, 12, an athlete in Special Olympics.

Michael made them especially proud as he carried the ceremonial torch at the Special Olympics 40th anniversary celebration gala in Boston on April 5.

"The Special Olympics are such a wonderful equalizer for athletes like Michael," said Jaxtimer, who heads up the public affairs office for the Boston office of The Bank of New York Mellon and cochaired the gala.

The event paid special tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded Special Olympics 40 years ago; Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation, which made a $100,000 donation to Special Olympics Massachusetts; and James Brett, president and CEO of the New England Council, a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics. The Bank of New York Mellon donated $100,000 to support the Young Athletes program, a new initiative that introduces young athletes ages 3 through 7 to Special Olympics.

Also featured at the event were induction ceremonies into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame. Inducted were Jessica MacDonald, an athlete from Cohasset, and John Odom of Bridgewater, a Special Olympics coach in the Whitman-Hanson school system.

For more information, visit specialolympicsma.org.

STUDENTS WIN MEDALS: Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School in Rochester made a good showing recently as its chapter of SkillsUSA captured 20 medals in the South District Skills Competition. In all, 77 Old Colony students competed. Winning gold were Sarah Young, Brandon Camara, Kendra Murray, William DeCosta, Michael Poland, Robert Cost, Brendan Begley, Eli Reznekervitz, and Drew Bartlett. Taking silver were Christopher Fisher, Ryan Rheaume, Melissa Viera, Steven Verroneau, and Jake Shulenburg. Winning bronze were Daniel Rounseville, Jade Worthington, Justin Nelson, Michael Carberry, Matthew Willett, Alex Buckley, Adam Veary, and Alex Tironati. All are eligible to compete at the State Skills and Leadership Conference in Marlborough May 1 through 3.

HELPING LITTLE HEARTS: The first fund-raising event for a new group, Healing Little Hearts, raised more than $110,000 for Children's Hospital in Boston. The money will go for pediatric cardiac research, specifically research on tissue-engineered heart valves, said Kelly Sol Weglowski of Mattapoisett, who with her husband, Marc, started the organization. Their son, Brady, 2 1/2, was born with a congenital heart defect and has had six open-heart surgeries to replace valves as he grows. The couple hope research will lead to a valve that will grow with the child.