Ongie Douglas is enjoying 39 years of smiles with Special Pops
Published on March 21, 2022
“The smiles. The smiles and watching them succeed,” is what has kept Ongie Douglas enjoying her 39-year career serving those with developmental disabilities at Jackson County Parks + Rec.
Douglas began her career with Jackson County as an associate assisting other Special Population Services staff members with the Day Skills Program and as a chaperone for the Social Club. In 1985, she began her coaching career overseeing several athletic and wellness programs allowing the developmentally disabled to participate in team and individual sports and activities that would enhance their lives.
Douglas’s lifetime of commitment to the developmentally Disabled continues as she coaches individuals and teams as they participate in Special Olympics. Her athletes participate in bowling, basketball, softball, walking, track and field, tennis and pickleball. She also assists with several other activities offered by the Special Population Services division.
Her athletes have competed on every level of Special Olympics, including the World Games. She works directly with each participant to set goals and helps them attain those goals on an ongoing basis. Even when an athlete wants to give up, Douglas is there cheering them on and supporting them in their endeavors.
Athletes recently brought home several gold medals from the state bowling competition in St. Charles and the basketball players will soon be going to the state competition.
Douglas is more than a coach; she is committed personally and professionally to each athlete in her program. During the past two years many of the athletes could not attend practices due to the risk of exposure to Covid-19.
“With the pandemic our numbers have dropped a lot,” she said. “In basketball I usually have five teams of ten, so we went from five teams to two teams and now only one team is going to state. So that is a drop from 50 people to maybe 20. That’s a big drop. We are getting a lot of calls now with easing off on the pandemic so we will see how many we get.”
Douglas has made a point to stay in touch with individuals who have not been able to participate in person. She assembled sporting equipment packs and dropped them off at athletes’ homes. These packs included exercise bands, small weights, exercise tracking sheets, an exercise ball and illustrated instructions for each exercise she wanted them to complete. Each week she would refresh the packs with new exercise instructions and needed equipment. This aided those individuals in keeping in shape both mentally and physically.
Participants in the programs are usually 16 years old and up. “We also have younger, but they can’t go to the competitions, and they can’t go to the dances,” she said. There is no upper limit on age. “We grow older with the guys, so we are growing older together. Some of them were older than me when I started, and they are really old now.”
“Ongie is a consummate professional, who cares about her athletes deeply and provides the highest level of service to a population often forgotten. Her efforts have brought dignity and meaning to thousands of lives for 39 years,” said Tina Spallo, Jackson County Parks + Rec Superintendent of Recreation.