Dear Editor:
It’s amazing how one simple idea can inspire. I’ve lived in Hoboken 21 years and it was only last year that I realized that the Lincoln Tunnel Challenge, taking place April 17, benefits the Special Olympics. So this year I wanted to make sure I did my part to contribute to an organization that raises social awareness for people and athletes with disabilities. It was a simple notion: to field the single biggest team under the mantra One Race. One Team. One Town.
Team HobokONE was created March 4 and within a month we fielded the biggest team with more than 60 runners and raised more than $3,500, the most of more than 175 teams.
The people of this great town did their part by joining the team. The HoHa and Elysianette running teams all joined HobokONE rather than running under their own organizations. The sense of community in Hoboken is overwhelming. And it seems to be just that sense of community that helps turn a simple idea into an inspiration.
The idea inspired the generous owners of City Bistro to host a lunch for team HobokONE on Saturday, April 16. It inspired Fleet Street Sports, Club KO and the local Footlocker to donate gifts for raffles during the lunch. Raffle proceeds will go toward a bicycle camp to help children with disabilities learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle this summer. The Hoboken Family Alliance will host the camp, the first one hosted in the state of New Jersey. It has an 80% success rate for helping children with disabilities achieve a milestone easily attained by typically-developing children. Imagine how the simple act of riding a bicycle can put children with disabilities alongside their peers!
These things have been done and accomplished merely as a sense of unity around one simple idea and it’s truly inspiring. Thanks to all the businesses that have supported this idea, to the runners that have joined and to the Special Olympics for providing opportunities, social awareness and inspiration for people with disabilities. It’s really quite amazing what we can do as one team.
Sincerely,
Theresa Howard
Director, Children with Special Needs
Hoboken Family Alliance