Houston Area Student Raises a Grand for SOTX
By
Ramonica Jones
When Caroline Young’s parents asked her what she wanted for her 12th birthday, she didn’t give them a typical pre-teen answer. She didn’t want brand name clothes, the latest sneakers or the newest pop CD; she wanted money… to support people in her community with intellectual disabilities. That’s when the first of many donations rolled in. In just a few weeks, Young raised $1,000 to help support about 4,000 Special Olympics Texas (SOTX) athletes in the Greater Houston area.
Young is a student in the Cy Fair school district. She was motivated to raise money for SOTX after befriending two special needs classmates in her physical education class at Spillane Middle School. Young even learned sign language on her own so that she could communicate with one of the students, who is nonverbal.
Young created a big check for the big donation and delivered it, along with her contribution, to the local SOTX office. That’s when the staff told her family about Over the Edge, a fundraiser that requires participants to raise a minimum of $1,000 to rappel down Embassy Suites Houston – Downtown. Young decided to use the money she raised to send her big sister over the edge. Molly Young will rappel down the 20-story building on November 17.
