SOFF: A special day for local Special Olympic Athletes, volunteers
Colleen Moran is looking forward to the 2011 Special Olympics Family Festival, as is her sister-in-law and SOFF Chairperson Amy Moran.
MATTOON – Colleen Moran, like many of us, is happy when things are all about her. She’s already planning for her 22nd birthday at the end of next June and thinking ahead to her school prom next year, the year she will graduate from the Armstrong Center. Days like these mean the most to Colleen. And Saturday, September 17, will be one of those days when everything will be about Colleen – well, Colleen and the 800 or so other Special Olympic Athletes who will gather at Lake Land College for the Special Olympics Family Festival (SOFF).
SOFF is a day that is all about the Athletes, where they can play the games they want, make new friends and meet up with old ones, try new activities, dance, sing and just have fun.
Colleen’s sister-in-law, Amy Moran, a Consolidated Communications employee for the past 11 years, is heading up the committee planning this September’s event. As a long-time volunteer, she knows how much this day means to Colleen and the other Athletes from East Central Illinois.
Those who have never volunteered for the event or had a loved one or friend attend may not know what makes the day so special. SOFF started in 1984 as a way for the employees of Consolidated Communications to give back to the community. The first SOFF drew just a few hundred Athletes and volunteers but has grown now, 28 years later, to include more than 800 Athletes and some 1,500 volunteers from Consolidated Communications, other local businesses, civic organizations and local high schools and colleges and universities. At SOFF, Special Olympic Athletes are paired with a Friend-For-A-Day volunteer at the beginning of the day. The opening ceremony and parade sets the tone for the day: fun and friendship! The pairs spend the rest of the day making their way through the tent city of games and activities.
“Colleen loves the attention she gets from her Friend-For-A-Day. She is very much aware that the day is all about her,” Amy said. “She gets to choose what she does and when she does it. She also loves seeing all of her friends and the many people who know her by name.”
SOFF may be a day for the Athletes, but the Athletes are not the only ones who benefit. SOFF volunteers know how special the day can be and come back year after year to lend a hand.
Volunteers are still needed to serve as friends and work the games and activities. Volunteer registration forms are available locally at the Consolidated Communications Mattoon Communication Center, 1321 Charleston Avenue, Mattoon, or online at www.consolidated.com. There is also a Facebook page devoted to SOFF and the volunteer registration form can be found there as well. Volunteers must be 16 or older, and be able to work from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the event.
“SOFF is a day you will walk away from and feel like you have made a difference and touched so many lives,” Amy said. “Volunteering at this event puts your whole life into perspective, and reminds you not to take anything for granted. The Athletes teach you this just from being around them.”
