Melony Salla Becomes First Indiana Athlete As County Coordinator

Melony Salla recently accepted the position of Benton County Coordinator, becoming the first Special Olympics Indiana athlete within that role.
Salla joined Special Olympics in 2008, unsure about her future and the potential inside her. In the years since, she has grown into a leading voice for Hoosier athletes and now takes on the biggest challenge of her life – leading a county program where 25 athletes and 15 volunteers depend on her.
Melony has had many mentors, teachers and peers along the way help her get to where she is. Among them is Juanita Garten Eacret, the outgoing Benton County Coordinator who will stay on as assistant coordinator.
Melony shares her journey below as she prepares for the next chapter of her life, confident that she has prepared herself as best she can and trusting in those around her to make Benton County the best it can be.
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To look at me now, you wouldn’t know that at one time I was shy and wouldn’t even dream of starting a conversation with anyone. I was bullied, made fun of, didn’t want to do my schoolwork, had low self-esteem, and absolutely no confidence.
Because of my intellectual disabilities, I didn’t feel I belonged anywhere and didn’t seem to have any friends.
That all changed in seventh grade when I was introduced to Special Olympics. I finally found someplace where I belonged and have made so many friends. Through the years, I have gained my confidence, learned to speak up not only for myself but for others too, and became a mentor to our younger athletes. I’m no longer the girl I was in elementary school.
With Special Olympics, I have grown so much. This organization has taught me that I can be who I am, I can speak up for myself and others if needed, and how to be a leader.
The doors this has opened for me are just amazing. The opportunities started after I completed my degree in Communications at Athlete Leadership University to become a Global Messenger. I’ve learned how to talk to people, which has given me the confidence to get up in front of a crowd to speak. Can you believe that? Speaking in front of a crowd? When I was younger, there was no way I was going to do that.
I have given speeches to the Breakfast of Champions, spoke with donors at the Charity Golf Classic, spoken to the Board of Directors, and was the Keynote speaker for ALU. My biggest opportunity was speaking to politicians advocating for Special Olympics on Capitol Hill Day in 2023. What an experience to go to Washington, D.C.! Lots of firsts for me. First time flying. First time seeing the Capitol and all the monuments along with talking to the politicians.

I was voted onto the Special Olympics Indiana Board of Directors, serving for three years as a board member. What an opportunity that was. My eyes were opened as to how that side of business works. I’ve been chair of our county Athlete Leadership Council and also the chair for SOIN ALC for three years. Being the chair for the state, I learned time management, how to delegate to others, plan for our meetings, and keeping everyone on track.
I was one of the first four in the ALU Graduate Program, pioneering the way for others. There we had a project, and I chose to help with the CHAMPS (Level M and Level 1 athletes). There I helped make the award area a better place for them to receive their awards. This project and the Graduate Program led me into a Fellowship opportunity that I am currently going through. I was even offered a fellowship with Special Olympics North America.
I have even been nominated and accepted to go through the Leadership Academy through SONA this fall.
As an athlete, I was nominated to go to the USA Games in 2022 in Orlando, Fla. I was nominated as 2013 Athlete of the Year. I am on the Benton County Management Team, Area 4 Management Team, Benton County Polar Plunge Coordinator, and was Co-Coordinator for Benton County.
Now, I am the first athlete in the state of Indiana to become County Coordinator.
These are just a few of the ways Special Olympics has changed my life. My self-esteem is back. With my confidence rising, when I see something that needs to be done, I just do it. I’ve learned to delegate, ask for help when I need to, speak up when I need to, take other people’s advice and put it to use, and so on. I have learned so much, and in some ways I can’t explain it.
I am accomplishing things people would never think that a person with intellectual disabilities could accomplish and proving athletes like me can be in leadership roles given the opportunity with the right support system.
I don’t know where I would be without Special Olympics.