Local Special Olympics athlete creates artwork during annual fundraiser
On Saturday, Dec. 2, Special Olympics Illinois athlete and artist Alex Brescia of Hoffman Estates demonstrated his design work live at the Special Olympics Illinois Region B Holiday Dinner. Alex creates ceramic tile trivets and coasters using colored dies and a counting method.
Alex suffered from a persistent multiyear concussion that impacted some of his involvement in Special Olympics and other hobbies. Alex's mother, Joelle, looked for ideas for her son, and inspiration struck while the two were watching ABC's "The Chew." Clinton Kelly created alcohol ink dye pieces during his "Craft Corner" segment. Alex became interested in this medium and has since perfected his technique. He and Joelle sell the coasters and trivets at local community events.
Outside of Designs by Alex, he works at Little City Countryside Center in Schaumburg. Prior to his concussion, Alex competed in track and field through Special Olympics. Now, he's an excellent bowler for his league, the Ten Pin Bowlers. He also enjoys book club, dinner club, and he especially loves spending time with his service dog, Lassie.
At the holiday dinner, Alex created five pieces live for the evening's guests. His live performance was also broadcast across Facebook Live. His pieces were later auctioned off for a total of $500.
The annual celebration took place at The Arboretum Club in Buffalo Grove and included a seated dinner, live auction, silent auction and speeches from athlete speakers discussing the impact Special Olympics Illinois has had in their life.
Proceeds from the holiday dinner benefit nearly 3,000 local Special Olympics athletes as they develop physical fitness, become confident and aspire to greatness in other aspects of their lives.
To learn more about Alex's art, please contact kwisniewski@soill.org.
Special Olympics Illinois Region B serves the northern Chicago area portion of Illinois with local programming for nearly 3,000 athletes in McHenry, Lake and northern Cook Counties. Region B offers participation in 17 sports and holds 20 competitions year round. For more information about the region, visit www.soill.org/RegionB.