The front and back yards of Yorkton and the surrounding area are being uncovered after months under the snow and now it’s time to clean up and get them back in order. Special Olympic athletes and their families want to help, and this spring they are cleaning up yards in the city to support their programming.
The Special Olympics Lawn Cleaning Fundraiser is in its second year, and Trevor Cherry says that teams will come to homes and clean up yards for the spring. Each team consists of five or six athletes, plus parents and coaches, with equipment to clean up lawns. The service is on a donation basis, with a minimum of a $50 donation expected for the work.
“Rather than going door to door collecting money, let’s give a service to the community, and this is a way to do that.”
The money is being raised for the programming Special Olympics programming through the year. That means sports like bowling, bocce ball, golf, snowshoeing and swimming. Cherry says that they are also looking at adding more sports for athletes in the area, though they need coaches to help with new programming.
Athletes from Yorkton will also be participating in bowling tournaments in Saskatoon and Regina at the end of the month, while also getting ready for the summer Special Olympics in Moose Jaw in 2017.
The mission statement of Special Olympics is to enhance the lives of athletes with disabilities through participation in sport, and Cherry says that he has witnessed first hand the difference it is making in the lives of athletes, getting physical activity and coming “out of their shell” as they participate.
“It’s a great bunch of young people, enjoying activities like everybody else does, and these activities just open the door to a beautiful world.”
Doing the yard cleanup as a fundraiser is also a way to make community involvement a big part of their fund raising efforts.
“Having that acceptance in the community is vitally important.”
If you’ve got a yard that needs to be cleaned, you can get in touch with Cherry at 306-621-1536 or by email at specialoyorkton@gmail.com.
