VILLANOVA, Pa. - Last weekend, the Haverford College Athletic Department rallied approximately 70 student-athletes to volunteer at the 35th annual Special Olympics Fall Festival held at Villanova University. This event, orchestrated by Villanova, is renowned as the largest student-run Special Olympics event worldwide. Our student-athletes played an integral role in serving meals, supporting the athletes, and enthusiastically cheering them on during a variety of competitions.
Each year, during the first weekend of November, Villanova's campus welcomes around 1,200 athletes, coaches, and volunteers to the Fall Festival. Athletes participating in the event compete in six different sporting disciplines, including bocce, long-distance running and walking, powerlifting, flag football, soccer, and volleyball.
This year's theme, "Together as a team, our dreams are closer than they seem!" underscores the significance of providing a safe space where all aspirations can take shape and be celebrated. For this year's Fall Festival, SOPA aimed to inspire all participants with dreams of boundless possibility, emphasizing that exploring goals and emotions is the path to realizing one's dreams.
Division III is proud to partner with the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics partnership was initiated by the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at the 2011 NCAA Convention and officially launched on August 1, 2011. The purpose of this partnership is to enrich the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through a shared learning experience, offer a platform for recognizing Special Olympics athletes and Division III student-athletes within their communities, and raise awareness about Special Olympics, its programs, and services.
Haverford's Special Olympics volunteer effort, spearheaded by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), exemplifies the Haverford athletic department's support for the NCAA Division III Special Olympics initiative. The NCAA envisions that this partnership with Special Olympics will enhance the lives of Division III student-athletes and Special Olympics athletes through mutual learning, provide a platform for recognizing them within their communities, and raise awareness about Special Olympics, its programs, and services.
About Special Olympics Pennsylvania: Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) offers year-round sports training and competition in various Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It provides them with ongoing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and engage in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.