2021 April Showers: Help Pennridge Take on Souderton!

Maddie Bross, Student Writer

Take a run through the sprinklers on a cool spring day this April 29th with the Pennridge Unified Team! 

This year’s, 2021, April Showers Event is supporting a great cause for so many wonderful people. Participants commit to “Freezin’ for a reason” by working to fundraise money and with a minimal amount of $40, participants will receive a t-shirt at the end of the event. Participants will walk, run, dance, or however you want, to get through a chilly sprinkle of water.  SOPA, Special Olympics Pennsylvania, is currently looking to reach a goal of $25,000 to raise funds, as well as awareness, for the Unified Champion Schools Program.

This year marks a special time for the new Unified Class at Pennridge. They will be presented with their Official Unified Banner. Receiving the banner means so much to the class for all of their hard work! Angela James, one of the Unified Coaches, believes that receiving this banner is like “a realization of achieving your life-long dreams. We were able to accomplish so much in such little time. It typically takes five years to receive the banner, and it only took us 2.5 years!”. 

Coach James and Coach Fenhel are extremely dedicated to the team and cannot wait for the event to take place. Fennel expressed that “April showers is a great way to encourage team bonding and give the Pennridge Team more recognition”.

The SOPA Organization’s goal is to provides year round sports training and competition, like our Pennridge Unified Track and Bocce Ball teams, for people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. This helps to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, have fun, share skills, and make new friendships with other athletes. 

Eunice Kennedy Shriver originally came up with the amazing idea of starting the SOPA organization. Shriver believed that people with intellectual disabilities were more capable then experts believed. The world’s largest amateur sports organization was then created in 1962 and has flourished ever since. From Shriver’s backyard, to 172 countries, the movement has spread all throughout the world.

As of Sunday, April 18, The Reigning Rams team has raised a total of $8,453. To help Pennridge in their fight against Souderton, copy the link below to start a fundraising page of your own, or help others reach their fundraising goals!

To donate today: https://www.classy.org/team349079