This past spring I had an amazing opportunity to coach a Special Olympics team I started at my high school, Valor. Along with many of my fellow soccer teammates and friends, we met every Sunday to practice with our Special Olympics soccer team! The experiences I gained from this spring were overwhelming and have helped me to not only become a better person but a better advocate for this great organization. We were able to touch the lives of each athlete we helped, as well as build great relationships as a team and friends. Everyone who participated was completely moved by this experience and we are now trying to build a Special Olympics Club at my school where a large number of students can go serve and coach these awesome kids and adults.

Over the summer I was invited to a Special Olympics meeting where I was given the opportunity to become a Table Caption for their annual fundraiser, The Hall of Fame Breakfast. This is their main fundraising event for the year and helps them to continue to help and serve the Special Olympians of Colorado. During the Breakfast many leaders in Special Olympics Colorado will speak, as well as a few olympians and their journey through the program. Although I have never attended before, I have heard that it is a life changing experience and drives you even further to want to serve others. There are more then 700 people at this event, ranging from high schoolers like me to professional sports players, and business leaders. In an effort to get younger kids and high school students involved, they have invited all major high schools to attend this event and compete to see which school can fundraise the most money. As a Table Captain I have to recruit 8 other friends from my school who all need to raise a minimum of $200 to attend. My goal is to raise this amount of money and hopefully more.

 

Through this event I am trying to grow my schools interest in Special Olympics, and show students that you can make a difference in your community and in others lives. I’ve seen first hand the effects of what we do has in the Olympians lives and I have built great friendships with numerous athletes. I want to continue to do all I can to serve others and present christ in the way I conduct myself, hopefully drawing others in closer to God. Already I have had many discussions with a few olympians about the bible and how Christ is present in their lives.

 

This spring a story on our Special Olympics soccer team was published in the local newspapers, which was amazing to see how what we do can greatly effect the community. The story is online at ourcoloradonews.com under the “Arapahoe County” tab and then “Centennial”. Once their you can click on sports and it is a few stories down. Also you can search for the article by typing in “Valor Student Giving Back” on the website. If you feel led to help me accomplish my fundraising goal then please visit my first giving page at  where you can donate to my fund for the event. Thank you all so much for your time and I hope to see you soon! If you have any questions or need to contact me my email is- cooperyoungs@yahoo.com and my cell phone number is 720-234-2278. Again thank you all for your time and consideration, it is greatly appreciated.