Immokalee coach Kelly Stevenson-Crews receives prestigious honor from Special Olympics

Just before Immokalee was to square off against Golden Gate in the Unified Champions School FHSAA basketball championship last Thursday, special education teacher and longtime Special Olympics coach and advocate Kelly Stevenson-Crews received a prestigious honor.

Stevenson-Crews was named the Special Olympics North America Coach of the Year, selected the top choice among 135,000 coaches from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

"I was shocked, I had no idea I was even nominated," she said. "When they did it right before the game, I looked to the athlete sitting next to me and asked 'did they just say my name?' I had no idea. ... It's so amazing. I feel so honored."

Immokalee then celebrated again later that morning, picking up a 46-37 victory over Golden Gate to bring a state championship home. At the end of the game, Immokalee coach Davarius Johnson jumped into Stevenson-Crews's arms.

"I think I almost broke her back," Johnson joked. "What an exciting moment for everyone involved with this program."

Johnson said Stevenson has been such a strong advocate for Special Olympics sports, not only in Immokalee but across Collier County as well.

"She deserves this award because of all the hard work she puts in, those sleepless nights when you feel like you may not want to do it, she always pulls through and has the strength to keep going," Johnson said. "She's a powerful woman who has affected me in a big way. She makes me want to try and work as hard as she works."

Stevenson-Crews's son Guy Hensley grew up around the Special Olympics program, helping his mom at every turn. He eventually went into coaching himself, first making his mark as a longtime assistant at Golden Gate. He now coaches at Division II Tiffin University in Ohio.

Hensley said the reason his mom has been such a great coach and teacher is simple.

"She just cares so much and kids pick up on that," Hensley said. "She treats every one of those kids like family. I feel I've come to know hundreds of brothers and sisters over the years. I go to the games and they're all coming up to give me hugs. And that's all because of that atmosphere she created."

Hensley says he's applied much of what he's learned from his mother into his own coaching philosophies.

"I love all the kids I've coached, but it's also allowed me to get on them a certain way, because they know how much I care," he said. "That's exactly what she does. She's able to get on her kids and you can tell they don't take it personally because they know how much she cares. She just wants what's best for them in their lives and with their families."

The Special Olympics North America Coach of the Year Award was established in 1995 and is given annually to an active, certified Special Olympics coach who has made a significant impact on their community.

For the past 18 years, Stevenson-Crews has played an instrumental role in the growth and advancement of Special Olympics in Collier County. She was previously selected as Special Olympics Florida Coach of the Year in 2016.

Stevenson-Crews says the Special Olympics has been so important to her because she's seen the impact it's made on the athletes participating.

"As a teacher, I've seen a big difference between students that participate in Special Olympics and those that don't," she said. "The kids that are in Special Olympics are so much more confident. There's so much growth in these students. They have a very positive attitude and are excited to come to school and be a part of that school community. That's so exciting to see."