WELL DESERVED, PAM!
WICKLOW’S Pam Beacom was recently presented with a Distinguished Service Award by the board of Special Olympics Ireland.
Pam has been involved in Special Olympics since the late 1990s, when her daughter Aisling was involved in a Special Olympics swimming club in Dublin. When Wicklow town was asked to host Syria as part of the host town programme for the 2003 World Summer Games, Pam was instrumental in setting up that committee. That involvement was the catalyst to start up a Special Olympics Club in Wicklow, the successful Blue Dolphins Special Olympics Club.
Since 2005, Blue Dolphins has gone from strength to strength under the watchful eye of Pam and many other club volunteers. The club currently has 53 athletes and 60 volunteers involved.
Pam also served as a committee member on the first ever regional committee of Special Olympics Eastern Region and completed a full six-year term. She then returned as an area representative on the regional committee in 2011.
On top of all that, Pam was instrumental in setting up the Open Water Swimming programme and the Aquatics League within Special Olympics Eastern Region.
These are just a few of the many volunteer roles she’s taken on over the years.
The Special Olympics Ireland board presents its Distinguished Service Award to individuals each year at its annual general meeting, and this year Pam was one of three people to receive the award.
Pam has been a constant advocate for athletes and sport development – a deserving recipient of the award!