Special Olympics raises $1.63M for northern S.F. facility

A fund drive has raised $1.63 million for Special Olympics South Dakota to expand its Sioux Falls facility and to support the agency's new focus on helping people with disabilities to build relationships with others.

The money will help pay for a $1.9 million project at the Special Olympics building on the city's north side, officials said Tuesday in a ceremony that drew 60 people to Hilton Garden Inn downtown.

The goal was to raise $1 million from April to July in a local drive endorsed by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

The four-month drive exceeded that by more than half, netting $1,535,026, said Darryl Nordquist, the nonprofit's president and CEO.

Sioux Falls businessman Tom Walsh then stood before the group and announced an additional $100,000 as a matching gift, meaning that donation will match others dollar for dollar as they come in. Walsh is CEO of Dakota King, which has 34 Burger King restaurants in three states, and president of Great Life, a network of 14 golf courses and five fitness centers in three states.

His announcement pushed the total to $1,635,026.

The agency intends to raise the final $265,000 across the state.

The Special Olympics building is north of Interstate 90 and west of Cliff Avenue along the road that leads to Catfish Bay. The project will more than triple the space of the current 6,000-square-foot building, adding a commons area, walkway and gymnasium to bring the total size to 22,000 square feet. The gym will include two basketball courts.

Nordquist described Special Olympics South Dakota as a nonprofit organization that serves people with intellectual abilities. It holds 26 different events a year across the state, including athletic competition. Those programs traditionally associated with Special Olympics will continue, he said. But the building expansion bolsters a new priority the agency calls "unify sports." Those without disabilities will participate in competition and other programs alongside those with disabilities.

"It's a fairly new concept," Nordquist said. "It brings those without disabilities into a relationship-building environment with those with disabilities. They end up as teammates. They end up as friends."

The agency will introduce the concept in various events across the state, he said.

The ceremony also recognized Gas Stop, Sammons Financial Group, First Premier and Avera Health for contributing $50,000 or more to the project.