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BONITA SPRINGS — When Dawn Coe talks about competing in the Special Olympics, she almost sings her words of admiration.

“It’s my favorite thing,” she says melodically, reminiscent of Julie Andrews from the movie, “The Sound of Music.”

Dawn was born on the day of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, Jan. 20, 1961. Some may suggest that there’s a level of historical importance to the date. But for Dawn’s mother, Karin Coe, there is an extra amount of significance to her daughter’s birthday.

“With Kennedy came the interest in doing something about the mentally handicapped,” Karin says.

President Kennedy’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver was instrumental in campaigning for the rights of the disabled. In 1968, Shriver helped start the first ever Special Olympics games in Chicago.

“Dawn is mentally handicapped. She’s been that way since birth,” says Karin.

When Dawn was a child in Ohio, doctors told her mother she would not be able to learn to read and write.

Karin says Dawn is now literate, thanks to the hard work of her daughter and her teachers.

At 47 years old, living in Bonita, Dawn is a vivacious and sunny woman.

Despite having to wake up at 5:30 in the morning for a two-hour bus ride to work, Dawn says she still loves her job. She even enjoys socializing on her time consuming commute.

She works at Larc, Inc., in Fort Myers, a center that offers job opportunities for the disabled.

Her job is to repackage products for businesses in the community. She gets paid per product. Coe’s program manager, Barry Gellert, says she is one of the more dexterous workers at Larc, which sometimes lands her the more difficult assignments. But like many athletes, she enjoys the challenge.

Though she’ll sometimes tell you if someone annoys her, she complains little and shrugs off the small stuff.

“I’ve never seen her mad in 9 years,” says Gellert.

Dawn’s biggest love is competing in the Special Olympics — well, that and watching daytime television soap “General Hospital.”

Dawn says she enjoys the camaraderie she has with her teammates and likes meeting new people at the events.

She competes in the swimming games over the summer and track-and-field games that take place in the late spring. She skips bowling in the fall, though.

“I don’t like bowling,” she says. “Too many gutter balls.”

She has been competing in the Special Olympics for almost 30 years, but it hasn’t got old yet.

She keeps a box full of all of the ribbons she’s won over the years, but her mother says she hardly touches them. She’s more concerned about the next competition.

Karin says the Special Olympics has been a positive influence in her daughter’s life.

“It makes her want to stay in shape.”

Dawn says she walks almost every evening with her mother to stay fit for competition. When the track-and-field competitions come in the spring, she trains by jogging.

With a fit, slender body, Dawn’s work usually pays off.

She has won silver medals at the Florida state track and field games.

On Sunday, Dawn competed at the Aquatic County Games in Collier County.

At the outdoor event, the water was so warm, Dawn says, it felt like bathwater.

She was a little concerned about her ability to swim one of her heats the 25-meter breast stroke.

“I’m not very good at the breast stroke because there’s so much you have to remember,” says Dawn, who admitted that her coach had to remind her to stay above the water when performing that stroke.

Despite her apprehension, Dawn snagged two blue ribbons in the 25-meter breast stroke and the 50-meter freestyle.

Her success on Sunday means she will travel with the Collier County team to Sarasota on Aug. 16 for the area games for the Special Olympics.

Dawn says is excited about advancing to the competition in Sarasota. And if she can swim fast enough there, she can compete in the state’s aquatic games — a feat she’s yet to achieve as a swimmer.