Who are the Super Normal? I’m talking about the almost 200 million individuals with some form of intellectual disability (including my rockstar nephew, Fletcher Freese). Our world has a tainted perception of “normal.” It might look like me, or you, or most of my connections on LinkedIn. The world caters to us.

For sports, we have particularly easy access… youth teams, travel leagues, college clubs… most of which comes at no cost. And if it weren’t for the Special Olympics, the Super Normal would not have access to these mediums of competition. They would not have a team to be on, a tournament to play in, a trophy to compete for. They wouldn’t learn what it means to be a good teammate, what it feels like to compete against other athletes their age, or understand how to handle victory and defeat. These are critical character-building experiences that have shaped me and millions of others.

Administering sporting events is not free. Let’s take basketball for example. The Special Olympics team I most recently coached held one practice each week, four tournaments during the season, and one Championship tournament in the Washington D.C. Metro where we had the opportunity to compete against teams outside of our immediate region. Each team has to rent weekly gym space and bring at least four basketballs and a set of jerseys. For a tournament, the Special Olympics has to rent a gym, provide equipment, source labor (medical staff, referees, scorekeepers, concession operators, janitorial services, etc), and in some cases, provide transportation. Putting this all together, it costs the Special Olympics $400 to sponsor a single athlete, for a single sport, for a single season (that means we sponsored more than nine athletes last year!). This is entirely sourced through donations.

There are lots of organizations out there doing incredible things. There are even more people trying to raise money for them. I recognize that. If the Special Olympics resonates with you, it would mean the world to me if you considered donating.

Below is the link to my fundraising campaign, or you can donate via Venmo at @chase-fletcher-1 and I will send you a message with proof of donation.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and thank you for considering a donation.