Joanne Norell | August 16, 2016

Giving back to the special needs community has always been close to the heart of University of Notre Dame women’s soccer sophomore Shannon Hendricks.

For the local product from Granger, Indiana, it’s been an innate part of her family dynamic. The Hendricks family has long been involved with special needs organizations. Her father, Ken (Notre Dame class of ’81), coached a Special Olympics basketball team while in high school, while her mother, Lori, grew up in town and volunteered at the Logan Center. The two met at South Bend’s Camp Millhouse, a summer camp for people with special needs.

Their ties to those groups only grew stronger with the arrival of their youngest son, Brian, who was born with Down Syndrome. Since, the family has continued its involvement with these groups. Lori has coached a Special Olympics swim team for 17 years, with Shannon pitching in as an assistant throughout middle school and high school.

Read more here.

Originally published by Daily Domer Staff at dailydomer.nd.edu on August 16, 2016.