Franklin Lawson has been a Special Olympics Virginia athlete since 2010, and somewhere along the way he decided to try everything: swimming, bowling, bocce, basketball, track and field, volleyball, skiing, pickleball and flag football, for anyone still counting.
The Christiansburg native works full time at Carilion Hospital and part time at Kroger, and still finds the hours to serve as a Global Messenger spreading the need for respect, inclusion and unity.
He says Special Olympics taught him to be a leader for others so with him on your Plane Pull team you get a dozen sports' worth of grit on your end of the rope.
In his words
“You need to try even if you do not know the sport, because you will gain so many new skills, and there will be so many opportunities and lots of life experiences.”