Whether you’ve got 10 seconds or two hours, you can improve the lives of Lane County residents experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The first Saturday in February, my brother and I put on Oregon Ducks T-shirts and black swim trunks and University of Oregon hats. We stood on the beach at Maurie Jacobs Park and shivered under gray skies with other members of the Eugene/Springfield Special Olympics team. Around us, musicians from the university’s marching band drummed out an exuberant beat. Five people wearing inflatable white chicken costumes stood behind us — beyond them, people dressed in blue and white shark masks, plus a couple of bearded men in viking helmets and lots and lots of shirtless fraternity brothers.

“Number Five!” the announcer called, and I grabbed my brother’s hand and led him with the other athletes straight into the Willamette River.

Mark was born with Down syndrome — a genetic condition resulting from an extra piece of his 21st chromosome. I persuaded him to wade into cold water up to his chest as part of the Polar Plunge — an annual worldwide benefit for Special Olympics, which provides training and sports competitions for people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In his 20s and 30s, Mark played every sport the organization offered. In his 40s, our mothers died within a few years of each other, and he languished in a group home across the country with nothing to do but watch TV all day, every day. My husband and I finally sprang him out six months ago, and we’ve been building him a community in our county ever since.

The response has been remarkable.

Approximately 6.5 million people in the U.S. experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lane County supports over 4,000 of them with athletics and arts organizations, community centers and nonprofit agencies that help this vulnerable population to live their best lives. Since my brother moved to Eugene, I’ve met dozens of children and adults who experience disabilities, and who enrich our community with their energy and creativity. I’ve watched strangers support my brother with actions both lovely and surprising.

Right away, he joined the YMCA. His muscles had atrophied from years of inactivity, and so we began with swimming. The mid-morning pool-walkers embraced him and introduced him all around. Soon, he could resume his passion for circuit training. We discovered U-Can gym three days a week, during which staff assist members experiencing any sort of disability to work on strength and stamina. We found U-Can Boxing — a tri-weekly class incorporating balance exercises, tai chi and capoeira in a lively, supportive space.

Next door, Hilyard Community Center offers classes in adaptive yoga, dancing, fitness and music appreciation, as well as game nights and dances and nature walks and field trips to Oregon Coast Aquarium, OMSI, Chintimini Wildlife Center, and — my brother’s favorite — the bowling alley for two games and a burger.

At Hilyard, I’ve met unsung heroes — elderly parents, single moms and siblings of all ages devoted to their loved ones who experience disability, often without recognition or respite. In addition, thousands of teachers and coaches and case workers and direct support professionals in our county devote their lives to ensuring no one sits alone day after day in front of the TV.

Reader, you can improve the lives of these caregivers with a smile and a genuine “How are you?” or “You’re doing a great job.” And you can delight community members who experience disabilities with a quick high-five and a “How’s it going?” or — if you pass my brother in his omnipresent green and yellow UO gear — “Go Ducks!”

Have more time? Volunteer with YMCA, Hilyard Center and ARC of Lane County. Coach a Special Olympics sports team, boogie with clients from Allies, LLC at their monthly Whirled Pies dance or help teach preschool at the Pearl Buck Center. Assist Creative Chaos in putting on plays in Cottage Grove, lend a hand at Kind Tree’s Friends & Family Summer Camp or help visual artists create masterpieces at Radiant Community Arts.

And don’t forget to add Radiant’s gallery when you’re mapping out your First Friday Art Walk. You can stop and chat with the artists, including my brother, who specializes in painting — you guessed it — the UO Duck.

Melissa Hart’s latest book is Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ Stories of Disability & Determination. Join her and speakers Amelia Abel, Russell Haavind Berman and Mark Wilmot in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day at the Eugene Public Library 2 pm March 21.