Inspiration Walk/Run in College Park to Benefit Special Olympics

This Saturday, walkers and runners will join together to raise money to support local Special Olympics athletes, at the fourth annual Inspiration Walk and Run.

It wasn't that long ago that College Park rallied to raise money for the Olympians. Back in August, university for 48 hours to support Special Olympics Maryland.

The university police are again partnering with the organization, one of several reasons that make the University of Maryland campus the perfect location for the run/walk, said organizer Kathy Chittams.

Registration opens at 9:30 a.m. at Ritchie Coliseum, at U.S. Route 1 and Rossborough Lane. Runners and walkers hit the pavement at 10 a.m. , and read below for an interview with Chittams.

College Park Patch: This event benefits the countywide organization for the Special Olympics. Why was the and College Park selected for the location?

Kathy Chittams: We felt the College Park campus would be a good location for several reasons.

• Several of our athletes participate in the University of Maryland’s Children’s Clinic throughout the year.
• We also established a partnership with the Oz Organization two years ago. Several of the UM students in this organization volunteer at our soccer and basketball practices.
• Several of our athletes and their families supported the University of Maryland’s Department of Public Safety Police Officers at the “” fundraiser. It was held at the in College Park.
• We have an ongoing partnership with the UM Team.
• We have also partnered with the Team.

CP: This is a new location for the event, right? Why the switch?

KC: The University of Maryland’s campus is a great site for a one- or three-mile walk. We wanted to give all of our athletes an opportunity to experience campus life with some of the people they have met through the partnerships we have developed with the students/staff on campus.

CP: Can you estimate how much money this event has raised in the past, and/or about how many athletes it's benefited?

KC: We have raised over $10,000 each year from the Inspiration Walk. There are 1,200 athletes in our program that  benefit from this fundraiser each year.

CP: How is the money used to support the Special Olympics in Prince George's County?

KC: The money is used to provide quality training and competition for all of the athletes in the 14 sports programs. Specific line items would be facility use rental for sports like bowling or aquatics or skiing, uniforms, awards, etc.

CP: It looks like on the donation page, some people have donated or raised hundreds of dollars already. What if we show up on the day of the event with just the $25?

KC: We will accept the money on the morning of the walk with the completed registration form.

A $25 donation from a participant earns a t-shirt and a free lunch after the walk.

CP: Can't help but notice that the  doesn't say "race," but "run." How come?

KC: We have had just a few runners in the past. We have them start first and then the walkers take off.

You can walk the course or run it. The majority of the participants walk the course.

CP: Can you describe the partnership with the UMd. Department of Public Safety for this event?

KC: Chief Mitchell has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics in Prince George’s County and across the state of Maryland. The Law Enforcement Community as a whole is very active in Special Olympics throughout the United States. They can always be spotted at a variety of competitions and events throughout the year.

We supported the police officers from the Department of Public Safety last September when they . The UMD Police Officers raised money for all of the athletes in Maryland through this fundraiser.  The officers spent time getting to know our athletes that weekend. So when it came time to organizing the 4th Annual Inspiration Walk, what better place could we hold it, but on the campus of the University of Maryland.