Beacon of Hope: New Special Olympics Georgia Cauldron for the Flame of Hope to be Unveiled Nov. 10

/PRNewswire/ -- Duke Oursler used to help run concession stands and run other errands at Special Olympics events his mom ran in Kansas. And recently, using his art and sculpting talents, he built something even greater for the movement: a bright and shiny beacon of hope for the athletes in Georgia.

The lighting of the new cauldron marks the opening of the games. This high energy portion of the Opening Ceremony is carried out by athletes and law enforcement officers and is always a highlight of the ceremony. The new Special Olympics cauldron will be unveiled at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10 on the lawn of the Bulloch County Court House in downtown, followed by a reception at the Averitt Center for the Arts. The cauldron is made of sanded stainless steel that looks like marble. Steps were built in the back where the torch lighter can easily light the fuse.

"It'll be like a shining moment the athletes experience at Games. I wanted to reflect that energy, because that's what it's all about," said Oursler, a Savannah State University art instructor. It took three months to create and design the cauldron and about a month to sand until it was sparkly into almost a mirror surface, like a piece of forever-lasting jewelry, he said.

The cauldron was designed and created to help in the celebration of Special Olympics Georgia's 40th Anniversary.

"Duke was given several ideas and he took those ideas and created a cauldron that would make all of our athletes, coaches, volunteers, Law Enforcement Torch Run officers, parents, sponsors and staff proud to be involved in the Special Olympics movement and to ignite the flame of hope," said SOGA's Vice President of Programs Robert Yost.

The cauldron will be lit for the first time Friday, Nov. 12 at State Fall Games Opening Ceremony at South East Bulloch High School.

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Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold Veterans Day Ceremony

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 in the courtyard. Col. John K. Dewey, the Training and Doctrine Command capability manager for tactical radios at Fort Gordon, will be the guest speaker and Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver will make opening remarks.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will also feature Fort Gordon’s U.S. Army Signal Corps Band and Post Ceremonial Detachment Color Guard as well as the Butler High School Drill Team.

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, operated through an interagency agreement between the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, is located at 1101 15th St. For more information, call Karen Yonce at Georgia War at 706-721-2531.

By Jennifer Hilliard
Medical College of Georgia

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