Dec 06, 2018 |
A number of St. Bonaventure University students have plunged into raising funds this fall to support Special Olympics New York.
The team’s most recent initiative was braving the chilly temperatures of Lake Erie Dec. 1 for the Buffalo Polar Plunge at Woodlawn Beach State Park. The students who plunged into Lake Erie were Luke Collins, George Laria, Devan Cavanaugh, Kristin Reynolds, Luke Gobel, Tyler Brzezinski and Dan Janak. Collins coordinated the St. Bonaventure Polar Plunge team, which includes several members of the university’s cross-country team.
“St. Bonaventure has had a long-standing relationship with Special Olympics, and the Collins family is a great example of that legacy,” said Dr. Paula Scraba, associate professor of physical education at the university.
Luke Collins’ brother Ben, a member of SBU’s Class of 2017, was captain of the cross-country team that organized the first campus Polar Plunge crew as a team service project. Luke and Ben’s dad, Bill Collins, is the director of sports training for Special Olympics New York.
The students have raised some $2,200 for Special Olympics so far during the fall semester. In September, the team organized a Polar Spray during Family Weekend.
The team will continue its fundraising at the Bonnies women’s basketball game Friday (Dec. 7) night, which has been designated Special Olympics Night. The unified basketball teams from Allegany-Limestone and Portville school districts will tip off in an exhibition game during halftime of the women’s game; members of the men’s basketball team will be officiating. St. Bonaventure students will be accepting donations for Special Olympics at the doors. The funds raised will support the Special Olympics Unified Basketball Competition to be held at SBU this spring as well as other Western New York Special Olympics programs.
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