May 2, 2007 :: No. 191

More than 2,800 special athletes and some 3,000 volunteers are expected to take part in the 22nd annual Cal State Fullerton Special Games-Kathleen Faley Memorial on Friday, May 4.

The 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. event on the athletics fields north of Titan Gym will draw participants from Orange County and beyond for the popular event, which celebrates involvement by disabled youth in non-competitive activities.

Record numbers of  athletes and volunteers are expected this year. In fact, the entire student body — about 550 teens — of Whittier Christian High School signed up for the day. It’s the school’s fourth year of involvement, but a first for the whole student body.

“It is considered the school’s community service event for the year,” said Paul Miller, director of disabled student services at CSUF and a campus liaison to the event organizers.

Joining the volunteer ranks will be the juniors and seniors of Servite High School in Anaheim — about 400 young men —  along with another 350 students from Valley Christian High School in Cerritos. Cheerleading squads, plus baseball and football teams from local high schools routinely volunteer for the event each spring, said Miller.

After opening ceremonies, the games will begin: basketball and football toss, T-ball, soccer goal kicks and the 50-yard dash. The festivities will conclude with a barbecue lunch, but not before all of the athletes receive a commemorative award ribbon and T-shirt.

The Cal State Fullerton Special Games-Kathleen Faley Memorial was launched in 1986 as a CSUF class project. Two years later, the games were dedicated to the memory of Kathleen E. Faley, a CSUF alumna who died in a car accident in 1987. She was the sister of event co-organizer Dan Faley and among the inaugural core group of Special Games volunteers. Her family and friends remain involved in the event’s planning and organization.

To volunteer, or for information about the event, call 657-278-3112.

« back to News Front