POWERGRAMS

38 COMMUNITY Customer Service Supervisor Cynthia Tatum arrived two years ago in Jackson as a stranger. A decision was made to introduce her to Clarke County with a "signature project" that would make a big splash. The big splash turned into a tidal wave in April, when the Special Olympics returned to the southwest Alabama county aer a 22-year absence, with Tatum as coordinator. "I just can't say enough about Miss Cynthia," said Jackson Mayor Paul South. "If it wasn't for her and (Thomasville Business Office Manager) Danny D'Andrea – they organized it. They promoted it. They configured it with sponsorships. On the day of the event, they ran around all day long making sure people had what they needed." Just as important, the mayor said, was that while the event was at Jackson's Legion Field, Tatum and D'Andrea, who was assistant chairman, made it an all-county event. "They brought something back to this county for these special people and brought the whole community together," South said. Forty-five special-needs students from the Thomasville, Jackson and Grove Hill school systems participated, along with one adult from the ARC of Clarke County. Some 250 volunteers assisted, with each athlete assigned two mentors to help with competing, geing food and making it through the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. event. "We later learned some of the students don't normally participate in activities," Tatum said. "But that day, they were active and smiling. Every athlete le the field with a first-, second- or third-place medallion. There was no beer joy or fulfillment than that." But it was a formidable task. "We had a 13-member commiee and only one had participated in a Special Olympics," Tatum said. "None of us had any knowledge of the preparing, planning and executing phases of this event." She thanked the coordinator and trainer at the Special Olympics Alabama headquarters in Montgomery for steering them through the process. Members of the Alabama Power Service Organization helped, such as Mobile Division APSO President Drew Odom, and others, including: • Customer Service Representative Susan Davis, who took pictures of each athlete aer their event. • CSR Anita Gray, who helped raise 80 percent of the funds. • Local Operations Lineman Judson Williams, who carried boxes of food and supplies to concession stands. • Ronald Tatum, Cynthia's husband, who delivered donations to the event. The Alabama Power Foundation was one of the first to donate, motivating other companies to give, Tatum said. Now that they learned the ropes, "we are currently preparing for the 2020 Clarke County Special Olympics," she said. Mobile Division employees help revive Special Olympics By Gilbert Nicholson Jackson's Legion Field was site of the revived Special Olympics in Clarke County.

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