The Fayette County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DD) is encouraging the community to attend two upcoming events to show their support of Fayette County Special Olympics.
The first event is the annual fundraising basketball games on March 21.
“This year’s Guns and Hoses game is different than previous years,” Tim Stewart, Community First Coordinator/Special Olympics Coordinator for the Fayette County Board of DD, said. “Before the season started, the Dragons wanted to dedicate this season in honor of the late Oscar ‘Fuzz’ McKinney. Fuzz McKinney was the father of Caleb McKinney, one of the coaches for the Fayette County Dragons and also a player on the Guns and Hoses. Caleb and I have been able to get this game worked out for the third year in a row now and it just seems to get bigger.”
This year’s fundraiser night will again feature two games. The first is the Fayette County Dragons JV team taking on “Team HAZMAT,” consisting of some local Hazmat first responders from Fayette County, starting at 5:30 p.m. The second game will be the varsity Dragons taking on the Guns and Hoses (local first responders) at roughly 7:30 p.m.
“In between the games there will be a special performance from Zayne Harshaw,” Stewart said. “Zayne was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4. He is a self-taught artist and will put on a show you do not want to miss. The game takes place at the Washington High School and is only $3 per person to get in. All proceeds from the game will benefit Special Olympics.”
On the night of the fundraiser game, organizers will also be honoring Cheryl Binegar, a co-worker with the Fayette County Board of DD who was diagnosed with lung cancer just last month.
“We are honoring her with a t-shirt sale that we have going on from now until March 2,” Stewart said. “Our goal is to fill the stands with not only fans of our Special Olympics program, but to also show our support to Cheryl during this battle. We encourage everyone to purchase a shirt before the March 2 deadline and wear it the night of the fundraiser game.”
If interested in purchasing a shirt, contact Stewart at 740-335-7453 ext. 218 or stop in to the Fayette County Board of DD, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1330 Robinson Road SE in Washington Court House. Proceeds of the t-shirt sale will benefit the Binegar family.
The second event will be held on March 24 when the Fayette County Board of DD will host the annual Dwight Turner Memorial Spaghetti dinner at the Commission on Aging.
Dwight was well-known within the community and a great supporter of Fayette County Special Olympics up until the time of his passing. This year’s dinner will include spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread stick, dessert and a drink. There will also be a silent auction/raffle at the dinner (do not need to be present to win) and a 50/50 drawing. Advance tickets are $5 and tickets at the door will cost $6. Children 12 and under can eat for $3.
“All proceeds from this event will benefit Fayette County Special Olympics,” Stewart said. “The spaghetti dinner and fundraiser basketball game are our two biggest fundraisers of the year. It allows us to have such a great Special Olympics program in Fayette County and allows us to purchase uniforms, equipment for bowling, softball, flag football, track, cheerleading and basketball. The funds cover any travel or tournament expenses we may have. With roughly 80 people participating in Special Olympics in Fayette County, we depend on these fundraisers to continue allowing us to offer these sports to athletes that have an intellectual or developmental disability.”
Tickets can be purchased at any Dragons home basketball game or by contacting the Fayette County Board of DD at 740-335-7453.
Tim Stewart, Community First Coordinator/Special Olympics Coordinator for the Fayette County Board of DD, provided the information for the article.
