Joe Pham Fundraising Page
Hello everyone,
Happy holidays to all. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2009.
As you’re sitting down with your loved at the end of 2008 and reflecting on the year, please consider a year-end donation to the Loudoun Special Olympics Organization. I will be a first-time participant this year in the Polar Plunge event (http://www.polarplunge.com) in Virginia Beach on February 7, 2009 and am soliciting for your donation. Your help will mean a lot to me and the athletes whom I am coaching.
General Info
The Special Olympics Virginia Polar Plunge dates back to 1993. Virginia's Adventure Club East was looking for something fun and "extreme" to do in the middle of winter. Coincidentally, Special Olympics Virginia was looking for new fundraising avenues. Soon, the two pieces came together. That first plunge, held at the Clarion Hotel, featured all of about 34 plungers and still raised almost $8,000.
In comparison, last year, the 16th annual Polar Plunge raised more than $900,000 for Special Olympics Virginia and more than 3,500 chilled souls took the plunge. Because of this generous support, Special Olympics Virginia is able to provide year-round training and sports programs for both children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the state of Virginia.
I have been a SOVA coach in two sports (volleyball and swimming) since 2005 and have been privileged to witness the almost miraculous transformation these Special Olympics youths/adults go through from being the last picked or spectator in sports to becoming a participant /athlete. I have participated in many sports and still am entering road races on occasions, but I have never experienced the pure joy exhibited by an athlete until I become a Special Olympics coach. Your money will go to an organization of volunteers that provide the chance for qualified participants to participate in fourteen sports in three seasons out of a year. You will help provide these athletes with funds for their equipment, uniforms, travel expenses to games, and I can go on. 100% of your donation to the Polar Plunge event will go to the Loudoun Special Olympics organization and athletes—I can say that as my son Ian Pham has been a SOVA athlete since 2004. (for more details, please visit
http://www.specialolympicsva.org/contribute.htm)
Peace,
Chau Pham