Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

You likely have heard that the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games are coming to Seattle July 1-6 and that our university will serve as a venue for many of the events. Seattle University is honored and thrilled to assist in hosting the 50th anniversary of the Games. The very same ideals espoused by the Special Olympics—accepting, including and empowering people with intellectual disabilities through sport—are consonant with who we are and aspire to be as a university, and through the years many members of our Seattle University family have been involved with this outstanding organization.

The Special Olympics are expected to draw thousands of visitors to the region. An estimated 3,500 athletes, 1,000 coaches, 10,000 family members and roughly 50,000 fans will descend upon the Seattle area for the Games, and many will spend time on our campus. Seattle U will host all of the soccer matches being played, at Championship Field and SU Park, and a number of the basketball games, at the Redhawk Center. I encourage you to attend these sporting events, all of which are complimentary and open to the public. The full schedule for the Games and other information can be found here.

I also would invite you to consider serving as a volunteer at the many Special Olympics events taking place on our campus. If you are interested in volunteering for the Games, please contact Kaily Serralta at serralta@seattleu.edu. And thank you to those who have already signed up to help.

Finally, I want to thank especially our Conference and Event Services and Athletics staff, whose hard work has been instrumental in making possible our hosting of the Games. From coordinating the logistics necessary to putting on an event like this to serving as ambassadors and commissioners, many of our colleagues are significantly involved in this important endeavor, and I am grateful.

Whether you are able to serve as a volunteer, cheer on the participants as a spectator or warmly greet those who are visiting our campus in the coming days, I do hope you will join me in making the Games a successful and memorable experience for the athletes, their families and their coaches. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Stephen V. Sundborg, S.J.
President