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Tournament of Champions Day at McDaniel College

Posted at 7:49 PM, Apr 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-08 09:59:45-04

WESTMINSTER, Md. — Friday was Tournament of Champions Day at McDaniel College in Westminster.

It's a day where very special children are matched up with talented McDaniel students for a day nobody ever forgets.

McDaniel College students teamed up with more than 100 elementary, middle and high school students with special needs at the 30th Annual Tournament of Champions.

Every good day starts with a parade. And every great parade starts with a superstar like Miles Taylor. He's the man who can lift our world.

"It's awesome to be back here, and I came here many years ago, and it's an honor to be able to give back to the community," said Taylor.

This event has been going on for 30 years as the greatest play day you will ever see.

"Very good, super good," said a student.

A little girl who can't see can feel her way to happiness, a little girl who wanted out of her wheelchair to enjoy a moment of fun.

Jim Bullock is a retired teacher from Robert Moton Elementary School. When one of his students didn't qualify for the Special Olympics 30 years ago, he started the Tournament of Champions event.

"I'm so emotional at what happened," said Bullocks.

What happened was he put everyone under one parachute to teach us how to be kind and considerate and compassionate. It's hard to tell who is having more fun, the little ones, or the ones getting an education in how to treat a human being.

"It makes me want to do what I want to do a little bit more because I want to work with kids with disabilities. Anyone can be successful, so it's kind of like a day where anyone can come together with only positivity and no one loses today," said a volunteer.

It is a day nobody knew one another, and it ends with everybody being best friends. On the campus of McDaniel College we see a world is a better place. Smiles prove it.