12 A Guide to Nonprofit Board Success first International Special Olympics and got to attend the opening ceremo- nies with its celebrity cast. Even at her young age, she gained such an under- standing and appreciation for those who were different from herself. I have to add it was that Special Olympian who pulled my daughter out at the motel pool when she got in over her head while his mother and I were chatting away on the side. Later I was able to help host a delegation from the former USSR as they evaluated whether to start a Special Olympics-type program. This was a major step forward for them since their normal practice was to institutionalize those with intellectual disabilities. At the Second International Special Olympic games, my entire family traveled to Minnesota and helped present awards (alongside an actor for the M*A*S*H television series, I might add). My leader- ship presentation skills were further developed by conducting a workshop at the National Leadership Conference for Special Olympics. As you can tell, I got so much more than I gave by saying “yes” to serve on the board of the Virginia Special Olympics when my mind had originally said “no.”
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