Thank you for visiting my personal fundraising page.

I am very excited and honored to be one of only 11 Special Olympics North Carolina athletes selected to compete in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, .  The 11 of us will join athletes from all over the country in proudly representing Special Olympics Team .  We will be among 7,000 athletes from 160 countries who will show the world our dedication to sports this fall, Oct. 2-11.

My sport is POWERLIFTING, and I have been training hard to prepare for international-level competition.   I’m looking forward to competing but am also excited about experiencing the Chinese culture and meeting new friends from different countries.

I am writing many people asking for support in helping my dreams come true because it will cost approximately $2,000 to send me to China .  Your donation to Special Olympics North Carolina, which must raise the funds for the entire North Carolina delegation, will help provide travel, uniforms, training sessions, and sports equipment that will allow me to compete in these World Games.

Donating through this web site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my 2007 Special Olympics World Games opportunity.

Many years of Special Olympics sports training and competitions have prepared me to represent North Carolina and Special Olympics Team to   bring home the gold.   Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this email to anyone who you think might want to donate, too!

I promise to do my best to make my community, my state and my country proud!  Thank you!

Matthew