A few years ago, John Corbett, the director of West Virginia's Special Olympics gave a speech in Parkersburg. A man came up with pen and paper to ask for his signature.

Corbett grinned. "He said his wife was a big fan."

This John Corbett has never met the other, although he says he wouldn't mind.

"I think it would be perfect if we could get him to come in for one of our events," he said. "The name recognition alone, I think, would be great for us."

The silver-haired, 42-year-old is bemused by his connection to a famous fellow West Virginian. They look nothing alike and grew up in very different parts of the state. Still, Corbett says he's gotten calls from People and US magazines wanting the Hollywood actor.

"But that's OK," he said. "I've got a pretty good life."

He looks around his Virginia Street office at the many pictures on the walls, the signed snowboards, basketballs and bowling balls. These are the spoils he's picked up handling the affairs of West Virginia's Special Olympics.

Corbett first volunteered with Special Olympics when he was a junior at Richwood High School in Nicholas County. It wasn't his idea to help.

"The football coach came over and told a bunch of us players it would be a nice thing if we got involved with local Special Olympics event."

The suggestion was just short of a command.

"Naturally," Corbett said, "I wanted to make sure my coach was happy with me."

He signed up and was assigned an athlete to help and encourage. By the end of the day, Corbett was yelling and shouting for his athlete as he came barreling across the finish line with a huge grin on his face and screaming because he was so happy. Corbett hugged him.

"He said, 'thanks, mister,' and I was just hooked."

Corbett went to Marshall University, majored in communications and received a master's degree in journalism. He gravitated toward social work and took a job with the West Virginia Education Fund. Eight years ago, he joined the Special Olympics as its director.

He describes his work as challenging, time-consuming, draining, but fantastically rewarding.

"We are a staff of four," he said. "We all have to wear many hats."

The Special Olympics is a nonprofit organization, staffed by a few and manned by dozens of volunteers. Some of the volunteers, he said, have helped Special Olympics for 25 to 30 years, but because much of West Virginia is rural, not every county has an active program.

"We've seen a growth in our state events," Corbett said, "but we're still sort of spotty in a few counties like Monroe, Wyoming and Webster."

Corbett says the Special Olympics has made great strides over the years to serve more people. He can't say for sure if the number of mentally challenged people has grown, but he said Special Olympics is better equipped to reach out to whoever is there.

"It used to be, if there was an event, we had to put a cap on how many people a particular group could bring," he said. "That ended up leaving people out. We don't have to do that anymore."

The variety of ways people can participate in events has expanded, as well. Many are familiar with the Special Olympics summer games, where participants compete in sports activities that in many ways mirror the world Olympics. Corbett says there are more opportunities for the athletes and for their supporters.

He's particularly proud of the state basketball tournament, March 28 to 30 in Morgantown.

"We've got 33 teams, plus a hundred athletes who will be there to work on individual skills. We've also got 18 cheerleading teams. And the best part? Our athletes get to do this at the WVU Coliseum - the same place the WVU basketball teams get to play."

Corbett loves helping others get the chance to play sports and compete, but sometimes finding time for his own recreation isn't easy. He spends a lot of time with his family. He says they're very supportive of what he does. His children volunteer during the summer games. For himself, he occasionally gets in a little golf and once in a while, a pickup game of basketball.

"I also dabble in the stock market," he said. "It's not like I have a whole lot to invest. It's kind of like my way to play."

It's a sideline, and maybe not unlike the other John Corbett deciding to try his hand at playing in a band. If he makes a few dollars with it, that's fine. If he doesn't, it's still fun.

Source/Writer:

The Charleston Gazette
By: Bill Lynch