Shining Stars Network is a non-profit organization that specializes in shining a light on the special needs community by finding ways to showcase their many talents.

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For almost 10 years, the Stafford County Sheriff Department in Virginia has been running a cadet training program for young people with special needs. The Special Star Force Cadets program provides trainees with first hand opportunities to learn exactly how deputies do their job. Parents and participants both agree that this is a tremendous opportunity.

Recently, I was reminded of the outstanding photography of Oliver Hellowell. Oliver is a talented 19 year old photographer with over 60,000 Facebook followers and, as he puts it, "just so happens to have down syndrome". In 2014, he was profiled by the BBC.

Check out a few of Mr. Hellowell's photos below and click here to go directly to his gallery:

As we get ready for a new school year, it is a great time to look back at Staten Island hero, Brandon Williams. Last November, Brandon made headlines when he saved his Barnes Intermediate School classmate from choking on an apple. The then seventh grader used the Heimlich maneuver he had learned from watching Spongbob Squarepants. Brandon's parents said one of their autistic son's many gifts is his ability to pick up and retain information. We are still amazed that a cartoon helped this young man save someone's life!.

Earlier this month, Mikey Brannigan, who is on the autism spectrum, set a Paralympic T20 Designation world record by running a mile in 3:57:58 at the Sir Walter Miler meet. He bested his previous time by over 5 seconds. While Mikey has his focus on the 2016 Paralympic game in Rio, many believe he has a chance to participate in the 2020 or 2024 Olympic games.

Recently, video footage of Special Olympics powerlifter John Stoklosa has been trending around social media again. One look at the Special Olympian dead-lifting 440lbs and I am sure you will understand why.

As with many Special Olympians, there is more to John's story than just competing. Mr. Stoklosa has big muscles and a big heart. He works hard at his job at Acme and takes time to make the customers smile, bringing groceries to the car and giving stickers to children. As many of us who work with people with special needs know, the positive spirit of people with down syndrome can be contagious. John Stoklosa is a real life superhero.

Whether you are in the Special Olympics, the NCAA or the NBA, basketball is still a game played on the same size court with five players on a side and a 10-foot rim. That commonality connects people at all levels and we were reminded of that this past basketball season when, four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion, Lebron James visited Boston. During intermission of his December game, James took the time to come over and give respect to Aaron Miller, who had recently won his own MVP award at a Special Olympics event. The shock and joy on Aaron's face is priceless. 

After the game, Lebron took it a step further and went out of his way to make sure Mr. Miller got his game shoes. Kudos to you King James!

Last night LeBron gave his game-worn shoes to Aaron Miller, a recent Special Olympics MVP.

A photo posted by NBA on ESPN (@nbaonespn) on Dec 16, 2015 at 10:09am PST

Many people saw pictures on the internet of Jeffrey Harrison playing pickup basketball in his full Michael Jordan uniform, including gear and a shaved head. I coach Special Olympics basketball, so I am used to players taking the game very seriously. But, many people had no idea what to make of Mr. Harrison and his commitment to basketball and his hero. I was not to surprised to learn Jeffrey Harrison had autism and I was even more impressed to hear him say he would never let anyone stop him from being who he is.

How beautiful is it that Michael Jordan honored Mr. Harrison's passion with some once in a lifetime gifts? However, his Airness did not stop there. He also wrote a letter to Jeffrey AND personally called him on the phone!

Michael Jordan sent two boxes of gear to Jeffrey Harrison after seeing video of him playing hoops in his MJ uniform. pic.twitter.com/ZV0c7KpJcQ

— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) August 12, 2016