SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), in conjunction with Special Olympics, will host a "Fun Meet" on Thursday, March 27. The event is open to the public and will take place at Donald N. Miller Pool inside Heiges Field House beginning at 5:30 p.m.

In addition to being a fun meet, it will serve as a pre-season practice and fundraiser for the Special Olympics swim team. The meet will consist of various swimming competitions between Special Olympians who practice at Shippensburg every Thursday night and some of Shippensburg University's student-athletes, including Director of Athletics #Dr. Roberta Page#.

"The idea behind this meet is to encourage interaction between these local special Olympians, SHIP athletes and also the SHIP community," said SAAC president Will Kane. "This is a HUGE event for SAAC, SHIP athletics and also these Special Olympians."

The pep band, cheerleaders, mascot Big Red and campus and community members will be in attendance to cheer on all the athletes as they compete.

In addition to hosting the event, SAAC also participated in a fundraising initiative to support Special Olympics. Each SAAC member, representing each of the 20 teams, solicited donations from individuals to create a "Chain of Love."

Individuals who purchased a "chain" were able to sign their name along with a short message to the Special Olympians. Each "chain" will be linked and on display at the meet.

All funds raised will go to the local Special Olympics group to help offset travel and competition expenses.

"Their season starts in April, and one of their biggest meets is at Penn State," said Kane.

To date, SAAC has raised approximately $450. Additional "Chains of Love" will be sold at the meet for just $1 each.

The idea for SAAC to host the local Special Olympics swim team came from Kane, who is a member of the Shippensburg University men's swimming team, and his fellow club officers.

SAAC has never before sponsored a community event like this, but Kane says that it is something the group would like to do more often.

For more information on the meet, contact Kane at 267-664-1631 or wk2528@ship.edu.

For more information on the Special Olympics swim team, call Susan Monismith at 717-532-7974.