By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big 12 Sports.com CorrespondentThe Big 12 Conference’s continued partnership with the Special Olympics will again be featured in a
public service announcement. The PSA will air during Conference sports telecasts during the current academic year.
Special Olympics has been the Big 12’s designated community partner since the Conference’s inception in 1996. The Big 12 has made Special Olympics and Olympians a focal point at league championships, including the Dr Pepper Football Championship and Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Championships.
“This has been a tremendous partnership and community outreach program that we we’re excited to be a part of,” Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said. “It is perfectly aligned with our mission of providing educational opportunities through athletics. Our schools and our student-athletes can learn about participating in events associated with the Special Olympics.”
Part of the Big 12's role with the Special Olympics has been to encourage its student-athletes and fans from its member schools to serve as volunteers at Special Olympics competitions.
“One of several benefits of the partnership with the Big 12 is the honor and thrill Special Olympics athletes get from competing side by side with Big 12 athletes,” said Mark Reed, President and CEO of Special Olympics Iowa. “Big 12 athletes volunteer to assist with Special Olympic athletes. The Big 12 athletes gain life-skill experiences. As Dan Beebe has said, together we all win.
“The value of the PSA is tremendous and it brings to light what Special Olympics is all about. It’s a tremendous value to Special Olympics. I had people, our volunteers, all over the state ask me if I had seen the commercial. Being associated with one of the premier conferences in the country is a great thing for us.”
The public service commercial which aired last year and was narrated by Beebe has sparked interest in other major conferences that are discussing partnerships with the Special Olympics.
The Big 12’s partnership with the Special Olympics is especially poignant during this academic year because of the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver last August. She founded Special Olympics over 40 years ago.
