Lawton Police Officers Assn., I.U.P.A. Local #24 Members alongside Special Olympics athletes raised over $1,300 in donations for Special Olympics Oklahoma!

Lawton Police Department shared on social media, “Thank you to all who came out Saturday to support Bagging with Badges. All the money raised goes directly to the Special Olympics program. The athletes and officers raised over $1300 in donations. Thank you to everyone who came out to support such a great event.”

Special Olympics Oklahoma described their history, “Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The first International Special Olympics Games were held in 1968 at Soldier Field in Chicago. There are programs in all 50 states and more than 4.4 million athletes in 226 Accredited Special Olympics Programs across more than 170 countries worldwide with 7 regional offices around the world, located in Africa, Asia Pacific, East Asia, Europe-Eurasia, Latin America, Middle East-North Africa and North America. Special Olympics, Inc. is a non-profit international organization located in Washington, DC.”

They continued, “Oklahoma’s first Special Olympics event was an athletics competition at the University of Tulsa in 1969. In 1972, Special Olympics Oklahoma was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is governed by a state-wide Board of Directors. Special Olympics Oklahoma is authorized and accredited by Special Olympics, Inc., for the benefit of citizens with intellectual disabilities. Today, Special Olympics Oklahoma benefits 10,500 individuals and is supported by over 13,000 volunteer coaches and thousands of sponsors, donors, and volunteers conducting more than 175 sports competitions and training clinics every year.” Read more at https://www.sook.org/about-us/