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Trey Marabella headed for Special Olympics Massachusetts Hall of Fame

Cape Cod Times - 3/31/2019

March 31-- Mar. 31--HYANNIS -- Trey Marabella got a surprise when he walked into the common room at Living Independently Forever, Inc. (LIFE) on Friday afternoon. Fellow residents filled the room, as did several members from Special Olympics Massachusetts.

Charles Hirsch, a Special Olympics representative, introduced Trey and read a letter of recommendation that has been submitted on Marabella's behalf.

"Trey is a good athlete and loves competing at every level," Hirsch read. "He has a great personality and will do everything in his power to help anyone who needs it or wants it."

Then Hirsch told him what this was all about.

"I'd like to officially announce that Trey Marabella will be inducted into the Special Olympics Massachusetts Hall of Fame this year," he said.

Hirsch didn't even finish his sentence before Marabella walked over, shook his head and immediately said, "Thanks, buddy!"

"Special Olympics has made a big impact in my life," Marabella said afterward. "I'm grateful to be part of my organization."

Marabella is expected to be inducted June 6 in Boston, commemorating his decade-long involvement with Special Olympics. Marabella played forward for the basketball team that won the bronze medal at the 2010 Special Olympics USA Games in Nebraska. This past summer, Marabella participated in the Special Olympics' Eternal Flame of Hope. The group lit the torch in Massachusetts and brought it to Chicago ahead of the 2018 USA Games in Seattle.

Qualified inductees need at least five years of involvement and have "an impact on the organization," Hirsch said.

"To have this experience is something I'll remember for the rest of my life," Marabella said.

Marabella's skills extend further than athletics.

He has written multiple poems about his Special Olympic experience. While in Nebraska, he handed a tribute poem he had written for the late Special Olympics Founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, to her son, Tim Shriver.

"I was so surprised and happy when Mr. Shriver read to the whole crowd," Marabella wrote back in 2010. "It was unbelievable."

Anthony "Trey" Marabella, 45, was born in Louisiana and came to the Cape to attend Sandwich's Riverview School, a private boarding school for students with cognitive and learning disabilities. He also spent some time in Alabama before moving to LIFE, an independent living community, for adults with learning and intellectual disabilities.

Marabella has also gotten involved in local athletics. He has been an assistant football coach at St. John Paul II the past seven years and formerly worked as a Cape Cod Baseball League intern for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.

As an athlete, he has competed in basketball, soccer, tennis, track and bocce and has become a motivator for his fellow teammates. He also made a winning basketball shot at the most recent Special Olympics Massachusetts Winter Games.

"He's a great guy to be around," said Jessica Eisenberg, also a LIFE resident. "He motivates everybody.

"He's never going to stop playing special Olympics. He loves it."

As honored as Marabella was to receive the recognition, he was quick to ask how he could get more involved in Special Olympics.

"I'd like to get more involved with public speaking," he said.

"I love sports, been in sports all my life. I can't thank [Special Olympics] enough for being part of this organization."

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(c)2019 Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.

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