On the 153rd episode of Listen In With KNN on Fox Sports 1340AM, host Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed Special Olympics DC athlete and ambassador Novie Craven to the show.
She has a unique journey as she was born prematurely at Howard University Hospital. Even though her biological parents weren’t in the picture, the Washington D.C. native was raised by her adopted mother.
“I was enthusiastic because having a mother that is a different color than me doesn’t matter to me at all. She loves me like any other person would and she’s been there all my life. I struggled in school and when I walked across the stage, she was bawling like crazy,” Craven said. “We might not get along sometimes but in the end we love each other.”
After graduating from high school, she didn’t have many friends and a good outlet to go to. One day, her mom’s friend recommended that Craven get in touch with Special Olympics and decided to get involved in it. She was welcomed with open arms after enrolling herself in the program. What Craven found out was Special Olympics was also about education, health, connecting with other athletes and having unified partners being there for the athletes.
“A unified partner doesn’t have a disability and they make sure everything is good on and off the field. I have an amazing unified partner in Chris Bentz and is always making sure I eat healthy and sleep. Off and on the court, we do a lot of stuff and I think definitely having a unified partner is amazing,” she said. “It’s better that we’re checking on everybody during this time right now because athletes like me are used to playing sports and there’s a stop to it.”
Additionally, Craven was featured in a United Super Heroes Campaign in 2018. She was stunned when she got the letter that she was going to Seattle for the event and it turned out to be an amazing experience for her.
“When I got picked for the United Campaign, I thought to myself, ’I’m going to be all over the place and on billboards.’ You’re not thinking that you’re gonna be plasted all over the place. United (Airlines) flew me, my mother and another athlete named Charles to Chicago for a photoshoot. We took a picture and couldn’t reveal it to our friends until June (2018),” Craven said. “They took pictures of me holding a ball that represented a basketball.”
She has had the opportunity to work alongside athletes who have similar backgrounds to her like Elena Della Donne and Shaquem Griffin.
“Shaquem Griffin has one arm and doesn’t let his disability affect him while showing the world what he can do. Elena (Della Donne) is really involved with Special Olympics and has a sister with a disability and got her involved. Her being one of our global ambassadors is amazing,” said Craven.
She reminds those who want to get involved in Special Olympics to go to their website at specialolympics.com or follow them on social media @specialolympics.
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