Creating a Place to Belong

The story behind the volunteers who built the Plaistow Panthers from the ground up.

July 21, 2026

When families in the Plaistow/Salem area of Southern NH were looking for Special Olympics opportunities after the pandemic, they found something missing. The local program that had once served the area was no longer active following the pandemic, leaving athletes with intellectual disabilities and their families with limited opportunities to train, compete, and belong.

Rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem, Melissa McCombe decided to become the solution.

In 2021, motivated by the desire to create opportunities for her daughter, Mila, and other athletes in her community, Melissa stepped forward to launch what would become the Plaistow Panthers. Alongside fellow volunteer Melissa Gladhill, the two have spent the past several years building far more than a local sports program. They’ve built a community.

Today, the Plaistow Panthers offer athletes the opportunity to train and compete in swimming, basketball, bowling, softball, and other Special Olympics sports. Behind every practice, competition, registration, schedule, and volunteer sign-up are countless hours of work that most people never see.

As Plaistow Panther’s Local Program Coordinator, Melissa McCombe coordinates many moving pieces behind the scenes while also coaching multiple sports throughout the year. From welcoming new families and volunteers to ensuring each of their coaches have everything they need to succeed in their respective sports, she helps create the foundation that allows the program to thrive.

Meanwhile, Melissa Gladhill brings a lifetime of experience in competitive swimming to the pool deck. A former record-setting swimmer herself, she now pours that passion into coaching Special Olympics athletes, helping swimmers develop skills, build confidence, and discover what they’re capable of with every practice.

Together, they have created opportunities that extend well beyond competition.

Every season brings chances for athletes to try something new, whether it’s swimming an independent lap for the first time, sinking a basket, rolling a strike, or stepping onto a softball field. Those moments may not always end with medals, but they represent something just as meaningful: confidence earned through practice, friendships built through teamwork, and the belief that every athlete belongs.

Just as importantly, they’ve created a home for families.

Parents who once struggled to find inclusive sports opportunities have found a supportive network. New athletes are welcomed with encouragement. Volunteers quickly become part of the team. Practices become reunions where athletes celebrate one another’s successes and challenge each other to keep improving.

That’s the power of sport.

It’s easy to measure wins and losses. It’s much harder to measure the confidence gained after months of practice, the friendships that grow between teammates, or the courage it takes to try something new. Those are the victories Melissa and Melissa help create every single season.

Their leadership also reminds us what makes Special Olympics so unique. Coaches aren’t simply teaching skills or preparing athletes for competition. They’re helping athletes develop resilience, learn to trust teammates, overcome setbacks, and discover strengths they may never have known they had.

Perhaps what makes their story most remarkable is that none of this existed a few years ago.

They saw a community that needed opportunities and chose to build them. What started as a way to create inclusive sports experiences for their own daughters has grown into a thriving local program serving athletes and families from across Southern New Hampshire.

The athletes proudly wearing Plaistow Panthers jerseys today are part of that legacy.

Because two volunteers believed every athlete deserved a place to play, compete, and belong, countless athletes now have the chance to discover what sport can teach them both on and off the field.

That impact will continue long after the final whistle of any season. It lives in every athlete who leaves practice a little more confident, every family that feels connected, and every volunteer inspired to step forward and make a difference.

Sometimes the biggest victories don’t happen on the scoreboard.

Sometimes they begin when someone sees an empty space and decides to build something extraordinary.