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| (photo courtesy of specialolympics.org) |
MANCHESTER -
Circle K, Irving Oil, and Special Olympics are teaming up to
support more than 2,600 athletes in New Hampshire through the 2012 Fueling Dreams
promotion. The annual fundraiser started on July 9 and will run through August
5 at Circle K stores and Irving dealer locations across the state. Throughout
the three-week promotion, Circle K stores will sell window clings to their
customers as a way to raise money for Special Olympics.
“Our continued partnership with Circle K and Irving, in
addition to providing great awareness of our Movement, allows Special Olympics
New Hampshire to continue to live out our mission through the dollars raised
from their support,” said Mary Conroy, Special Olympics New Hampshire
president.
In addition to the sale of window clings, local law
enforcement officers will partner with local Special Olympics Programs and
Circle K and Irving employees on Saturday, July 28 for “To Serve and Protect
Day.” This day-long event partners law enforcement officers with Special
Olympics athletes who pump gas and wash windows for donations at locations
around the state.
The three-week promotion is the largest U.S. fundraiser for
Circle K and Irving. The partnership with Special Olympics began in 1999 to
benefit the Law Enforcement Torch Run, the largest fundraiser worldwide for
Special Olympics. Since then, the event has grown throughout New England and
has raised more than $2 million which supports over 28,000 Special Olympics
athletes in New England each year.
Last year this partnership raised $297,632 for Special
Olympics programs in New England with $131,343 of that raised in New Hampshire.
The support of Circle K and Irving during this promotion and throughout the
year helps Special Olympics New Hampshire provide year-round sport training and
competition in twenty sports for children and adults with intellectual
disabilities. In addition to sports programs Special Olympics New Hampshire
also provides leadership training to their athletes, works with partners like
the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association to help provide more
inclusive school environments for all high school students, and every year
Special Olympics New Hampshire offers free health screenings for their athletes
at their annual Summer Games in Durham.
“Throughout the year Special Olympics New Hampshire
unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sport
and because of these two great corporate partners we are able to hold more than
20 competitions a year for 2,669 Special Olympics athletes in our state, said
Conroy.
Special Olympics New Hampshire is an accredited program of
Special Olympics International (SOI) and is part of an international global
movement that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people with
intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering
communities of understanding and respect worldwide. It was founded in 1970 with
the first State Summer Games at Phillips Exeter Academy.
