In collaboration with the Anderson School of Management, Special Olympics New Mexico will host the annual Santa Shuffle 5K & Elf Scoot 1K.
Participants will convene at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics New Mexico.
“This will be our second year organizing the event, and we hope to see more people,” said Arlene Armijo, a Special Olympics New Mexico representative. “We hope the run will help us raise awareness of Special Olympics New Mexico.”
Coordinators of the event feel there are any misconceptions about the organization and the events they host, but increased awareness can help create a better understanding.
“There is a misconception that we only have annual events,” Armijo said. “We are actually seasonal like other sports programs, and we think it’s important that people with special needs should have physical activity year-round. We also feel that it is important for people to get to know people with intellectual disabilities and realize that they are not too different from who we are.”
This year’s race is unique, with Special Olympics New Mexico working in conjunction with the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management. Special Olympics New Mexico has previously worked with McKee Wallwork & Co., a New Mexico-based advertising agency.
McKee Wallwork & Co. was able to connect Special Olympics New Mexico with students at the Anderson School of Management.
“We are volunteering our time to advertise this event for the rest of the community. We hope that our work will generate more community involvement with this event and further events set by Special Olympics New Mexico,” said Melinda Mesibov, a student at the Anderson School of Management.
This cooperative effort was put in place as Special Olympics New Mexico faced budget cuts for their events. In response, students at Anderson volunteered many hours and helped advertise for the event.
“Our entire state appropriation was eliminated, and that is a huge deficit for the organization,” Armijo said. “We greatly appreciate the work (the students) have put into our event and are glad to see such community involvement.”
She hopes that events like these can provide the community with a form communication with the intellectually disabled.
“Community involvement gives the athletes the opportunity to feel proud and be proud of who they are as people. When people think of the intellectually disabled, they don’t think of an athlete. When people think of the intellectually disabled; they usually think of things they can’t do. However, these experiences allow the community to recognize that the intellectually disabled are just like us,” Armijo said.
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The registration fee is $30 for the 5K and $10 for the 1K. Participants in the 5K will receive a Santa hat, beard and finisher’s ornament. Individuals unable to attend the race can contribute $25 as a Secret Santa supporter.
Anyone interested in learning more can call (505) 307-0027.
Shubham Chadha is a news reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
