The eleventh annual Charity Bash kicks off on February 11. For two weeks, students, teachers, and community members will raise money to give to the selected charity, Special Olympics of Illinois.
Ali Thompson, senior, nominated Special Olympics as a choice for this year’s charity and was chosen back in November. This year’s Charity Bash events consist of the annual dodge ball tournament, LZHS Drama Club’s Coffee house, and the Turnabout dance. Turnabout’s theme this year is a combination of The Great Gatsby with a touch of old 1920s Hollywood. All proceeds raised at these events go directly to the charity.
Thompson’s brother, Dylan, has Down syndrome and participates in the school’s Special Needs Athletic Program (SNAP) and in the school’s annual Special Olympics. Members of SNAP and the Special Education program will be apart of the planning of Charity Bash every step of the way, Claire Donahue, senior and Student Council vice-president said. SNAP members helped design and contribute to the Charity Bash t-shirt design.
“I think Special Olympics is an excellent charity for this school year. I feel like the connection is strong because everyone personally knows someone that is involved in Special Olympics, whether that is an athlete or a volunteer,” Donahue said. “[This] charity has affected the lives of many LZHS students. Since our school hosts the Special Olympics in the spring [every year], our students have seen first hand what the charity strives for.”
Originating from Chicago, the first Special Olympics game was held at Solider Field in 1968. Since then, this organization has more than 5,000 athletes participating in their events, and provides year-round training for twenty-two sports, according to Special Olympics of Chicago’s website.
“I think this charity is a great charity to do for Charity Bash because it encompasses athletes of any age or disability. The main focus of the charity is on athletics, but it’s so much more than that. It is about development, learning, and forging friendships that can last a lifetime,” Thompson said. “I don’t believe that there is one person who walks away from a Special Olympics event and not feel like they’ve positively changed through their experience with these remarkable athletes. This charity has helped my brother develop into the incredible person he is today.”
Charities chosen for Charity Bash have some sort of connection to LZHS and the LZ community. Ten years ago, Christopher Bennett, Student Council sponsor, and Student Council members at the time strived to create a period of time during the year where the community can come together as a whole, and focus on raising money for a charity.
“Student Council was trying to create some [kind of] big [charity event] because we [would have] all these little charity drives that clubs sponsored. We always said ‘wouldn’t it be great if there was one unifying charity drive that the whole school could get behind, and would be raising money for a short period of time and there would be all these fun activities.’ That’s what we set out to create,” Bennett said. “Certainly you want to raise as much money as you can [during Charity Bash], but its also is about the effect it has on the school.”
After ten years of Charity Bash, students, teachers and the LZ community, has donated a total of $343,181.
“I love seeing everyone work together to raise money for a charity. [It] really shows how our students [and community] care about the world around us, and are willing to help out in anyway possible,” Donahue said.
Donahue wants people not only to have fun and raise money for Special Olympics, but to learn what the charity is about; she wants people to see how it has helped the lives of many people.
“Special Olympics is a way to highlight the amazing skills of specials kids all over the state and country,” Donahue said. “I hope that LZHS [sees] the huge impacts that the money we raise will affect those lives.”