(gactv.com) Jo Dee Messina, who has been an ambassador for the Special Olympics for about three years, jumped at the chance to help prepare the athletes for the 2007 Special Olympic World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, during the Team USA Training Camp at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Jo Dee will kick off the training camp July 12 with a concert for the 580 athletes, coaches, and volunteers involved with the training camp. Three days later Jo Dee, along with her band and crew, will take part in the Special Olympics All-Star Softball Game at Hawkins Field against some of the Special Olympic athletes. Following the game, Jo Dee will be a model in a fashion show presenting the clothing the athletes will wear during their trip to Shanghai. "I became an ambassador for the Special Olympics after seeing the games," said Jo Dee. "These are athletes that always put their heart into sports. To see the games is to see true sportsmanship in its purest form. Doing their best is what these athletes strive for — plain and simple. I'm proud to work with the Special Olympics." The 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games will bring together nearly 7,500 athletes from 165 countries with support from tens of thousands of volunteers, family members and spectators. The games offer a world stage to showcase the abilities and accomplishments of people with intellectual disabilities. 
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