Elk Grove Special Olympian inspires her family
Mildred Argust doesn't like to lose. She has been competing in the Special Olympics since 1972 and to date, by her family's count, she has won 184 medals.
Even more important, she has inspired a generation of her family to dedicate themselves to caring for those with special needs.
Argust, 67, was born in Chicago in 1942. She attended Von Humboldt Elementary for two years, but her severe learning disability meant she could no longer go to school.
"We didn't have the facilities back then that they have today," said Lynn Swanson, Argust's older sister. Their mother signed Millie up with some park district programs since she couldn't go to school, and that was the beginning of Argust's love for athletics.
Argust started Special Olympics in 1972, and has competed every year except for eight years when her mother was ill. She's earned so many medals that she is donating many back to Special Olympics so they can be melted down and forged into medals for younger generations of Special Olympians.
Argust isn't going to stop competing. The Area 18 Special Olympics Spring Games for the Northwest suburbs will be held May 2 at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect.
Gold medalists in the regional games are invited to compete at the State Summer Games, June 11-13 in Normal.
Argust's favorite event is the softball toss, a distance throwing sport similar to shot put. When Argust was younger, she also enjoyed swimming, bowling, track events, and winter events like snowshoeing.
Her niece, Becky Tranchita, lives in Elk Grove Village and is Argust's legal guardian. She and her family have volunteered with Special Olympics for the past 10 years.
"These people are the happiest people in the world, and if we didn't volunteer, they would have nothing," said Becky. Her daughter, Amanda, is finishing her last year at Northern Illinois University, and is intent on becoming a special-education teacher.
"I love seeing the growth athletically and academically in them. They are just so happy," said Amanda.
While in grade school, Amanda and her sisters, Amy and Brittany, taught their aunt how to color and write her name. Millie would know how to do it by the time they left, but would forget by the time they returned.
"Seeing how excited Millie got when she would write her name gave them such satisfaction that they helped her do it," said Becky.
Amy and Brittany both attend Harper College in Palatine. Amy plans on transferring to NIU and also become a special-education teacher, and Brittany plans to work in health services.
When Argust isn't with her family, she lives at The Meadows, a community for developmentally disabled adults in Rolling Meadows. Argust helps the staff at Clearbrook, an organization dedicated to helping developmentally disabled, with the more severely disabled residents.
"We try and spend time with them as well. They all know who we are and come to us as soon as we walk through the door," Becky Tranchita said.
"We love to see them all so happy whether we just talk to them, or we have sat and colored with them before," she added.
Millie hopes more children become involved in the Special Olympics.
"They really appreciate the kids and that they are so involved in their lives," said Swanson. What others might have seen as a burden has become a unifying force in the lives of Argust's family.