SOU Student-Athletes Raise Over $1,600 for Special Olympics
ASHLAND -- Southern Oregon student-athletes helped raise over $1,600 for Special Olympics in Oregon and Jackson County as part of the program's annual Polar Plunge.
A portion of the donations will stay here in Jackson County for the Special Olympics program.
Each student-athlete at SOU was asked to raise money as part of an on-going theme for SOU Athletics of giving back to the community. The program also aligns with the NAIA's Champions of Character program.
"As an athletic department, we want to put a lot of emphasis on giving back to the community," SOU athletic director Matt Sayre said. "Our student-athletes did an amazing job at getting creative and finding ways to raise money for Special Olympics."
The women's soccer team at SOU helped raise over $500, while both the volleyball and track and field/cross country programs raised over $400 each.
"One of the most impressive things about this is that our student-athletes didn't care about getting a shirt or taking part in the actual plunge into the pool, they just wanted to raise money for Special Olympics because they know how important the money is to that organization," Sayre said. "This is a great partnership that we have with Special Olympics here in Jackson County and I'm eager to see where it can go in the future."
Special Olympics serves the largest disability population in the state by offering year-round sport training and competition programs with 15 Olympic-type sports at 37 regional competitions statewide, at no cost to the athletes or families.