Special Olympics and the National Federation of State High School Associations will Challenge Students to "Make The Point!"

10 March 2003

On 25 October 2003, millions of high school students across the United States will have the opportunity to participate in Make the Point! for Special Olympics, a basketball fundraiser to benefit participating schools and Special Olympics. The Make the Point! event on 25 October will conclude the 24th annual celebration of National High School Activities Week (19–25 October), which was created by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in 1980 to increase the public's awareness of the values of and need for interscholastic activity programs. Special Olympics and the NFHS are challenging students across the United States to solicit donations from friends and family, based on the number of free throws they believe they can attempt in a given time period. On event day, participating students will gather in their school gymnasiums, turn in the money they raised, and shoot their promised free throws. As an added bonus, each participating school will receive 10 percent of the revenue it raises through Make the Point! The Make the Point! event on 25 October will challenge high school students across the United States to solicit donations from friends and family based on the number of free throws they believe they can attempt in a given time period. To help students understand the importance of participating in Make the Point!, educators can visit the SO Get Into It™ section of the Special Olympics Web site and download the free standards-based K-12 curriculum. The curriculum teaches students about respecting and embracing differences and similarities in people with and without mental retardation and how to overcome barriers to achieve their goals The alliance between NFHS and Special Olympics brings together two organizations dedicated to empowering individuals to be respected, contributing members of society through their involvement in sports. "By partnering with Special Olympics, we believe we have the unprecedented opportunity to further infuse two of our core values — respect for self and respect for others —- to high school students," said NFHS Executive Director Robert F. Kanaby. "Make the Point! for Special Olympics gives our youth a tangible way to promote good citizenship in their schools, and, most importantly, it awards students on a personal level, knowing they will truly inspire greatness in Special Olympics athletes." "We are grateful for NFHS' commitment," said Timothy P. Shriver, President and CEO of Special Olympics, "and encourage America's youth to lead our nation and its future generations in the pursuit of empowerment, acceptance and inclusion for all individuals. Together, we all can Make the Point! for Special Olympics." About NFHS The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the U.S. national service and administrative organization for high school athletics and fine arts programs including speech, debate, theatre and music. NFHS writes the playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls competition and provides programs and services for its 51 member state high school associations, which encompasses about 18,200 U.S. high schools and more than 10 million students. The NFHS' mission is to promote participation and sportsmanship and to develop good citizens through interscholastic activities which provide equitable opportunities, positive recognition and learning experiences to students. Visit the NFHS online at http://www.nfhs.org/.