Dan Dillon Special Olympics Coach of the Year

Dan Dillon has been our boys' Special Olympics basketball coach since we moved to Loudoun in 2002. He is enormously dedicated. I once asked him how he got involved in Special Olympics - did he have a sibling who had special needs? He said no, that his family had brought him up to serve the community.

When we began going to St. Francis de Sales, we saw Coach Dillon there. The boys were so thrilled!

Leesburg resident Dan Dillon was been named the Special Olympics Coach of the Year award in a ceremony held in Richmond last month.

Dillon serves as the basketball coordinator for 10 teams, and was nominated by Caitlin Marcotte, of the Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services. Marcotte sent a
letter to the state highlighting Dillon's 25 years of service to the program, what he does and why she believes he should win the award.

"Dan is just great." Marcotte said, "He just gives so much."

Dillon got involved with Special Olympics because he wanted a way to give back to his community.

He is the coordinator for the Loudoun County basketball program that includes about 60 athletes.

"I wasn't able to do it alone. There are 10 to 12 other coaches I work with and I could not do it without them." Dillon said. "I do something, but it's really the other coaches who make it possible."

Dillon said he has a passion for Special Olympics and devotes his time for the athletes. He enjoys what he does.

"It's not about me, it's about the organization," Dillon said.

The Special Olympics is an international program that uses sports for children and adults to break down the barriers for the mentally disabled. The program is run by volunteers and is free to the athletes and their families The Special Olympics offers all kinds of sports, every thing from equestrian to bowling to basketball to swimming to tennis, and is available to mentally disabled athletes as young as eight years old, according to the Special Olympics web site.

Thanks, Coach Dillon!