By Alexis Young
Staff Writer
Today marks the second annual Polar Spray hosted at the St. Bonaventure campus.
Participants pay a $5 fee to be sprayed by the Allegany Fire Department in the fall weather to raise funds in support of the Special Olympics.
The event will take place on the outdoor basketball courts between the Richter Center and the Reilly Center and will be manned by the women’s swim team.
Registration begins at 3 p.m. The event will begin at 4 p.m. and will last for approximately half an hour.
All are welcome to attend the event. Those wishing to register early can do so at the following web address: http://sbu.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1164927.
The Polar Spray is a passport event.
Along with the Polar Spray, Bonaventure has lined the weekend with events intended to educate the public on those with special needs and garner support for the cause.
In addition to the Polar Spray, Bonaventure will also be sending a team to Buffalo to participate in the Polar Plunge Dec. 3 at Woodlawn Beach State Park, according to the event Facebook page.
Next semester the school will continue in its tradition of hosting the Unified Special Olympics where students from local schools compete alongside their special needs classmates.
Dr. Paula Scraba, O.S.F., Ph.D. has been highly involved with the organization and set up of the Special Olympics here at Bonaventure for quite some time. In fact, the Special Olympics found its start in her hometown in Connecticut.
“[The] ARC started a day camp for children with disabilities in my hometown,” Scraba said. “My neighbor was hired as a camp director…That’s how it all started. As a volunteer.”
Scraba originally volunteered at the day camp as a lifeguard for the first few years. Later, the government passed regulations to ensure special needs children received fair treatment. ARC played a major role in the passing of these regulations.
With the government funding the training, Scraba followed the special needs effort to the University of Connecticut where she either worked full time while going to school part time or worked part time while going to school full time.
Ultimately, this casual encounter in Scraba’s younger years would lead her to a Ph.D in Special Physical Education from the University of Connecticut, secondary and collegiate teaching experience and the opportunity to share her passion along the way.
All those wishing to gain more information regarding the Special Olympics can contact Scraba by phone at (716)375-2444 or by email at pscraba@sbu.edu.
For those interested in contributing further, event t-shirts will be sold for $20.
youngam13@bonaventure.edu
