HADLEY — Hopkins Academy is hosting basketball players from the Special Olympics Wednesday evening, and proceeds from the event will be donated to Special Olympics.
Barbara Anderson, a member of the Hopkins Academy sports booster club, said games run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the school, 131 Russell St.
She said concession stand proceeds and money raised from a raffle, for which local businesses donated goods, will be given to the group. Donations are also accepted.
Anderson said members of the Hadley Mothers Club, local girl scouts and Hopkins Academy basketball players will all be in attendance. The pep band will also be on hand, she said.
The event has picked up steam in recent years, she said.
“Last year we had a lot of advertising for it,” Anderson said. “It’s pretty raucous — lots of people in the stands, cheering for the athletes.”
Eunice Kennedy Shriver guided the Special Olympics to prominence in the 1960s. Events worldwide give people with mental and physical disabilities the opportunity to compete athletically. In 2015, the organization said it had expanded its reach to 4.5 million athletes worldwide.
Jack Suntrup can be reached at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.