Cardinals for Special Olympics hosts Spooky 5K

Participants dressed up for the Spooky Sprint 5K run and walk on the Pine Grove Trail on Oct. 12. Money raised will go to fund CSO’s Spring Special Olympics. Vanguard Photo | Karlee Gourd

Cardinals for Special Olympics (CSO) hosted its third annual 5K walk and run to fundraise for the Spring Special Olympics held at SVSU.

CSO President Taylor Boyd said the event, which took place on Oct. 12, was meant to be a fun way for students to support CSO.

“This 5K is meant to be fun,” Boyd said. “We had a costume contest, and we had reverse trickor-treating where the runners are given candy along the trail. There were prizes for best costume and, of course, first place in the race.”

Boyd said she hoped students enjoyed the event and learned more about CSO and Special Olympics.

“We hope that participants had a fun-filled day since this is a very stressful point in the semester for students,” she said. “We also hope that participants gained knowledge about CSO and the Spring Games. We are always looking for more members to join the RSO and more volunteers at the games.”

Mary Brege, a lead mentor in Cardinal to Cardinal, said she is involved in CSO and doing events like the Spooky 5k because it feels like home.

“This 5k event is so fun,” she said. “Handing out candy and dressing up in costume really gets everyone in the spooky spirit. When I got to SVSU freshman year, Cardinals for Special Olympics was the first organization I signed up for, and it has been a home for me ever since.”

Brege also said she loves Special Olympics and the impact it has on the students who participate in it.

“I love what we stand for and the strides we are making to provide so many students-athletes in the Saginaw community with the chance to do what they love and just be kids for a day with no other worries,” Brege said. “Our organization strives to raise awareness of the amazing things the special needs community has to offer.”

Brege said students should consider becoming involved in Special Education because it helps unite students through acceptance.

“SVSU students would benefit so much from learning more about special education and interacting with students who may have disabilities,” she said. “Exploring organizations and ideas can help our students grow in accepting others and celebrating differences, rather than looking at them as deficits.”

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