ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — On Sunday, March 27, the Elizabethtown College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), in partnership with the NCAA and Special Olympics of Lancaster County, hosted a Special Olympics swim meet on campus in the Alumni Pool. Blue Jay student-athletes from all sports volunteered the morning of the meet to ensure the success of the event.
This is the fourth time the Etown SAAC has hosted a Special Olympics swim meet and the first time since 2019. 66 athletes from Lancaster, Chester, North Umberland Snyder, Lebanon, Berks, and Philadelphia County competed across 34 events.
“It was great to have this event back on campus for the first time since 2019,” said SAAC Community Service Chair, Will Rhodunda. “The meet is a great opportunity for our group to engage and connect with the athletes competing today. I look forward to the event returning to its annual status and seeing this group next year.”
More than 120 student-athletes volunteered at the meet, making it the largest service project of the year for SAAC. In the fall, the group also lived out the College’s “Educate for Service” motto by hosting its second annual corn hole tournament, raising $370 for the Blue Jay Pantry, a space on campus dedicated to provide Etown students with free, non-perishable food items sourced by charitable donations from within our community.
Founded in 1983, Special Olympics of Lancaster County is a year-round sports training and competition program for individuals from ages 6 and up with intellectual disabilities. Lancaster County offers 15 different Olympic-type sports at no cost to the athletes or their families.
Special Olympics sports have specially adapted rules sanctioned by the International Sports Federation of each to make them competitive for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
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