8 thousand dollars raised for Special Olympics of Aroostook

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - The final total for the Cloukey Charity Challenge is now known and it was another record year. I presented a check for 8 thousand, three dollars to Steve Richard of Special Olympics of Aroostook Area Management team. This is the 33rd year of the tournament and once again it set a new record. Last year we raised just over 7 thousand one hundred dollars for the tournament and this year we excededed it by over 9 hundred dollars. Steve Richard is always blown away by the genorosity of people in this area and said the money will be put to good use again this year.

Steve Richard:” What we use the money for is to put on our games. The Area Management Team are all volunteers. We don’t take any money at all. We have no full paid staff up here. All of the money raised goes directly towards the Special Olympians. It could go to buy the medals. We are one of the only areas that actually give out medals to our athletes. The only other one is the State of Maine games. We are really proud of that and to be able to do that. All of the equipment that we purchase and anything we do for the Olympians comes out money that people like yourself raise.”

Thanks to this tournament and other donations Special Olympians around the County were given a hoodie from the Area Management team earlier this year

Richard.:” We felt really bad we haven’t had the Spring games for a couple of years. We wanted to make sure the Olympians really understood that we were thinking of them. We purchased them with monies like what you raised. We purchased hoodie sweatshirts for 300 athletes throughout Aroostook County .I am going to tell you it was a big hit.”>

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