Paper crowdfunding to cover Special Olympian at Winter Games in Calgary
In celebration of the River Valley Sun’s fifth anniversary in the new year, the newspaper is crowdfunding to cover a special event 4,000 km away.
Woodstock Special Olympian Patti Connors is going to the Special Olympics Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, in Feb. 2024. The paper wants to follow Connors and document her at these games.
“Something like this isn’t in our small budget, but we knew it was important not to let that stop us,” said River Valley Sun co-owner Theresa Blackburn.
“Patti is the most decorated Special Olympian in Canada, and she’s ours,” Blackburn added. “She’s 58 years old, and as she approaches her senior years, no one knows how many more games Patti has in her, so we want to be there to document these ones.”
The games run from Feb. 27 to March 2. More than 4,000 athletes are expected to attend, including a team of six from Woodstock.
“We’ll have three snowshoers and three floor hockey players participating,” confirmed Special Olympics Western Valley Regional Coordinator Debbi Graham.
Blackburn is calling on her community to help her paper get to Calgary.
“We want to give some well-deserved attention to Patti is closing in on 150 medals, with 87 gold to her credit so far. The numbers are staggering.”
Blackburn estimates it will cost approximately $3,000 for the flight, hotel, and car rental.
If you or your business is interested in sponsoring the River Valley Sun’s Special Olympics Winter Games coverage in Calgary, you can email Theresa Blackburn at theresa@rivervalleysun.ca
