BROOKINGS – Millions of people around the world participated in the ninth annual “Spread The Word To End The Word” activities on or around March 1, and Brookings was no exception.
"Spread the Word to End the Word" is national campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using the word “retard” or “retarded” in everyday speech out of respect for those with intellectual disabilities.
From left, Samantha Himley, Jadyn Himley, Adrian Seymour, Craig Vanderzee and (not pictured) Lauren Himley all spent Wednesday at the Brookings Hy-Vee spreading the word to end the use of the r-word. Their booth was set up from 10:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., and they had so many participants that they ran out of stickers and pens.
“That means we received over 500 signatures on the banner,” Samantha Himley said. “We are overwhelmed by the amount of support for this campaign from the Brookings community.”
A record 103 schools in South Dakota committed to participating this year, along with a number of Brookings and Sioux Falls businesses that are showing their support for this campaign. Special Olympics South Dakota, in partnership with other sponsors, supplied participants with banners, posters and event swag.
It was anticipated that more than 28,000 South Dakota students would take the pledge on or around March 1. You can take the pledge, too, by visiting www.r-word.org.
