The Motionball Special Olympics fundraiser has gone to the mountains, adding a winter fundraising event at Big White Ski Resort near Kelowna, BC, to its roster following the success of its summer event.
The Motionball Marathon of Sport has raised more than $1 million over the past decade, and now Kelowna’s Director of Volunteer Programs, Derek Fuhr, has brought the first Motionball Winter Games event to life.
“It’s like our traditional program where we have teams of 10 people and each team is paired with a special Olympic athlete and play with them and get to know them,” Fuhr said.
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Teams compete in everything from sled races and relay races to tube rides during the one-day event.
“It’s a little variation of what we do at our traditional events – we have six Special Olympics athletes today and 40 participants and it’s a good time, everyone is having a lot of fun,” Fuhr said.
Special Olympian Chris Harrington competes in basketball, golf, softball and floor hockey, and today, he’s happy to be a teammate at the first event of its kind.
Harrington said, “It’s all about sticking together, whether you have a disability or not, it’s all about inclusion.”
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Cassidy Rutledge, who competes in swimming, powerlifting and snowshoeing, says she had a great day on the slopes.
“It’s a great day out here and it’s really fun seeing all my friends have a blast and the time of their lives,” Rutledge said.
Thanks to the event over $10,000 was raised for the Special Olympics. If you would like to donate to the cause, visit http://www.motionball.com
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