Special Olympians Shine At Owasso FFA Livestock Show

This is the second year Owasso's FFA program has had a Special Olympics livestock show, where the FFA students take a backseat to special needs kids.<br />

Wednesday, January 30th 2013, 5:55 pm

By: Craig Day

Two great organizations that benefit kids are the Special Olympics and FFA.

Put those two together and it makes for one memorable night, which is what recently happened in Owasso.

Most FFA livestock shows are serious competitions, after all students have put in a lot of hard work raising their show animals.

But this one was a little different. This one was all about having a good time.

"We get to help other students be able to have an experience they may not be able to have otherwise," said Owasso FFA advisor Jonathan Holloway.

This is the second year Owasso's FFA program has had a Special Olympics livestock show, where the FFA students take a backseat, and the attention is given to kids who don't usually get a chance to show animals.

"It's all smiles and fun and they talk about it forever afterwards," said parent Tony Messer.

"It's kind of exciting for me, because she gets to get out and everybody gets to clap for her," parent Bill Sherrill said.

With the guidance of FFA students, the Special Olympians each got their turn in the ring.

It's their moment to shine, showing hogs and sheep and cattle, while showing smiles to everyone in the crowd.

"It was awesome!" said 9-year-old Nathan Reynolds. "This was my first time, and it was super great."

He said it's because all of these people came to cheer for him.

"It made me feel like the best kid in the world," Nathan said.

It's "super great" for Owasso's FFA students, too. Their agriculture teachers wanted them to learn a lesson beyond the classroom, one about serving others.

"It's not about what we can accomplish, but about what we can do for other people. And that's really what we're trying to stress here," Holloway said.

"To us, it's just amazing, just to be able to work with these kids, and to be a part of something they love and enjoy," said FFA student Makyla Hudson.

That's what it's all about.

The Owasso FFA Chapter plans to continue the event each year, and they hope other chapters can do similar programs across the state.