WHAT:
More than 2,500 athletes will celebrate their achievements on the playing field Friday, May 6, during the Goodwill of Orange County Faley Special Games. The 31st annual gathering will be sporting that new name for Orange County’s largest non-competitive sporting event for athletes with developmental disabilities. Goodwill of Orange County has joined forces with CSUF, the Special Games Executive Board and the Faley family to serve as the official partner of the event.
WHO:
Supporting athletes in their efforts will be more than 4,000 high school and university volunteers, including members of Cal State Fullerton’s President’s Scholars, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and volunteers through the CSUF Volunteer & Service Center. Also taking part are representatives of the Cal State Los Angeles Criminal Justice Student Association and the Notre Dame Club of OC.
WHEN:
Friday, May 6
8 a.m.-2 p.m.
WHERE:
Cal State Fullerton, athletics fields north of Titan Gym
800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton, 92831
MORE:
During the daylong program, youngsters will participate in various outdoor games, including a football throw, basketball hoop toss, soccer goal kicks, T-ball, bean bag toss, 50-yard fun dash, volleyball and Frisbee toss. They will be able to visit with Tuffy Titan and theme park characters and clowns, see fire trucks and police vehicles up close and enjoy live music. Every athlete is a winner destined for a blue ribbon, game-day certificate and commemorative T-shirt.
VOLUNTEERS:
Volunteers help coordinate activities and interact with the special athletes. All volunteers receive a community service hours. For more details, visit the website.
BACKGROUND:
The Special Games were launched in 1986 as a class project. Two years later, the games were dedicated to the memory of Kathleen E. Faley, a CSUF alumna who died in a car accident in 1987. She was the sister of event co-organizer Dan Faley and among the inaugural core group of Special Games volunteers. To this day, her family remains involved in the event’s planning and organizing.
NEW PARTNER:
“The opporunity to be part of continuing this amazing community tradition at Cal State Fullerton with the Faley family was an easy decision, said Frank Talarico Jr., president and CEO, Goodwill of Orange County. A number of our people in the Goodwill family participate in the event and look foward to the games months in advance; we are honored to have a role in this large-scale special event to make sure it succeeds for years to come.”
DONATIONS/INFO:
Additional information is available online or by calling Jeannie DeSantis at 714-550-9155.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Pamela McLaren, 657-278-4852
Paula Selleck, 657-278-4856