When Candice and Michael Corsi adopted brothers Matthew, 6, William, 4, and Stephen, 2, in 1986, they vowed never to treat them "special." They would be held responsible for doing their chores and there would be no tolerance for excuses.

Although that may be the norm in many family settings, what sets this household apart is that William, now 24, and Stephen, 22, were born the victims of fetal alcohol syndrome and drug abuse. Both have intellectual disability.

The Corsis were told William would never surpass ninth grade. To the amazement and delight everyone, William graduated from Armwood High School in 2001. But no one was more overwhelmed than William himself when he learned he had been named Special Olympics Florida's 2007 Athlete of the Year. He was selected from the 15,000 athletes across the state.

"I feel excited and accomplished for what I did the last couple of years," said William, who also was awarded the Hillsborough County Special Olympics 2007 Inspirational Athlete of the Year at the State Summer Games in Tampa.

His mother - who, in addition to working fulltime, is also raising the couple's 16- year-old biological daughter, two foster children and volunteering as Hillsborough County's

Special Olympics athlete registration coordinator – is proud of William. "He's come a long way," she said. William's father agreed. "I'm proud of him. I talk about him at work all the time," said Michael Corsi, who also serves as the Hillsborough County Special Olympics volunteer competition director.

Much of William’s advancements in life, his parents contend, can be attributed to his 10-year involvement with Special Olympics.

William has trained and competed in bowling, softball, swimming and volleyball, earning numerous ribbons and medals at local and state level competitions along the way. Despite his many victories, he remains humble and always displays good sportsmanship, whether in victory or defeat.

An extremely social guy, William makes friends wherever he goes; whether it’s with venue volunteers, athletes, or coaches, it doesn’t matter. If William learns your name, he’ll go out of his way to greet you whenever he sees you.

In the past two years, William expanded his participation in Special Olympics beyond competition: in 2006, he became a certified Global Messenger (a public speaking and self-advocacy program), and has since given many speeches on behalf of Special Olympics to groups as small as ten people or as big as three-hundred.

An excellent public speaker, William conveys his passion for the movement and shares how Special Olympics has helped him become a better athlete and a better community member. He recently addressed a large crowd of executives at Busch Gardens. "He handled it like a champ," his dad said. In 2007, William was named a delegate to Special Olympics Florida's Athlete Congress, a statewide group of athletes that discusses and votes on issues intended to enrich the Special Olympics experience.

According to Hillsborough County Special Olympics coordinator Tom Denham III, William is always willing to volunteer his time to help out at fundraising events and do whatever is needed in the organization's Tampa office. "I think that everyone in this organization is very proud of William, not only as a representative of the entire state's athletes, but for the values he's set for them," Denham said.

"He leads through example ... and his excitement is infectious." Sandy Denham, Tom's mother and a teacher of trainable mentally handicapped students at Plant City High School, has come to know the Corsi family well through her involvement with Special Olympics. "I'm just absolutely amazed by the support of the entire family, not only their own family but their foster kids and nieces and nephews," Sandy Denham said.

William is also very grateful for their participation. "My family is a good supporter of Special Olympics and my family gives me support," said William.

On July 21, 2007, William stood before a crowd of over 350 awards banquet attendees as he accepted the Athlete of the Year award. After thanking his family, friends and those who have supported him, he drew a standing ovation when he threw his fist into the air and declared “Special Olympics rocks!”

We agree, William, and so do you.

See all of the 2007 Annual Award Winners!

Contributing writers: SOFL staff and Joyce McKenzie, Tampa Tribune