Pins For A Purpose – J. Kent Staffing Supports Special Olympics Colorado
Posted by: Emma Berdanier on May 19th, 2019
According to specialolympicsco.org, “The mission of Special Olympics Colorado is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”
On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, J. Kent Staffing participated in the annual “Pins For A Purpose” event – a bowling competition held at The Denver Athletic Club, hosted by the Young Professionals Board (YPB), a subcommittee of Special Olympics Colorado (SOCO). With the help of Vince, our SOCO athlete, J. Kent Staffing came in 3rd place out of seven teams, and helped raise $8,700 that night! Each company sponsored a lane, and was paired up with a Special Olympics athlete to promote inclusion and, of course, to show off their awesome bowling skills! To wrap up the night, the winning company competed against a team of Special Olympics athletes, which ended up being a very close competition.
I have been involved with Special Olympics for over 12 years and have a deep passion for this organization. My aunt has Down Syndrome and is heavily involved with Special Olympics Pennsylvania. With over 100 medals – competing in volleyball, weightlifting, basketball and more – she has been a role model for me as long as I can remember. She even led the opening ceremony at the Penn State Olympics – giving the welcoming speech in front of thousands.
So, I started volunteering for Special Olympics Maryland and quickly filled my time with events surrounding the mission. I wanted to create the same opportunities that my aunt had for others who have intellectual disabilities. In my junior year of high school, I won Officer of the Year for the State of Maryland, after hours of commitment in various activities & event planning.
When I moved to Colorado in 2015, I knew I wanted to continue with Special Olympics Colorado, but wanted to find a group that had a particular focus, rather than just volunteering at different events. When I came across the Young Professionals Board, I knew I had found a great group of people who were not only in my age group but who were all interested in the same mission. Meeting once a month, we plan and execute four main events throughout the year to gain awareness and raise money for SOCO’s Healthy Athletes Program. With the help of this event, we have raised $28,000 of our $55,000 goal for 2019!
According to specialolympicsco.org, “Special Olympics Colorado is a 501c3 and is one of just 6% of non-profits which does not receive federal or state funding.” Therefore, it is incredibly important for SOCO, including YPB, to constantly promote, educate and fundraise to support our athletes!
If your company is interested in getting involved in future SOCO events, please email me, Lauren Brown, at [email protected]
