This Saturday, Calgary’s Mount Royal University campus will be littered with hundreds of volunteers, athletes and Special Olympians.
Motionball, a non-profit organization built to support Special Olympians, is hosting their annual Marathon of Sport on Saturday, June 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Mount Royal University. The event is aiming to raise over $175,000.
Adam Zimmer, volunteer organizing committee member with Motionball’s Calgary chapter, said that the all-day Marathon of Sport event allows participants to spend a day playing sports with local Special Olympics athletes, while raising funds for Special Olympics Canada Foundation.
“Participants have the opportunity to participate alongside the athletes they’re supporting with their fundraising efforts and it also allows people with and without intellectual disabilities to interact and build lifelong relationships, friendships and ultimately just create a more inclusive community for everyone,” he said.
Each team of 10 will be joined by up to two special athletes from the community, Zimmer said, to compete in sports like floor hockey and basketball, among others.
Though team registration is full, anyone interested is free to attend.
“We have opportunities for people to volunteer or spectate and cheer on their favorite teams or any of their favorite athletes,” Zimmer said.
Without spoiling a surprise sport, Zimmer teased a new inflatable-based game for Saturday.
Dollars in action
Prior to the event, each team had the opportunity to fundraise. Seventy per-cent of the funds raised will go to Special Olympics Alberta and 25 per cent of the funds go towards the Special Olympics Canada Foundation.
The remaining five per cent goes towards the No Good Way campaign, which focuses on inclusive language in everyday conversations, Zimmer said.
No matter the amount donated, everything helps, according to Zimmer.
For $300 a team can cover the cost of set of floor hockey sticks, $500 can certify a volunteer to be a Special Olympics coach and $750 can send a Special Olympics athlete to compete at provincial games, he said.
“$1,000 can cover an eight-week active start program for ages two to six. $1,500 can start a new Special Olympic club in a small community in Alberta. $2,000 can cover the cost of hosting a local, regional, or provincial competition for hundreds of Special Olympics athletes,” he said.
“When you think about the impacts that an amount of dollars can have, that’s a big part of this.”
Zimmer said that with everything going on in the world currently, the Marathon of Sport is something he circles on his calendar every year as his best day ever.
“It gives me goosebumps thinking about it, that’s how much of an impact it’s had on me and I’m one little part of this event,” he said.
“It’s part of who I am and it makes a really significant impact for a group of Special Olympics athletes. It’s just awesome.”
Aside from Saturday’s event, the Calgary chapter of Motionball has a gala scheduled for November. Zimmer called the fall event a more dressed up way to celebrate Special Olympians.
Early bird tickets for the gala go on sale on June 21.
