Another $2.8M needed for SOMO facility

This spring, Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) announced completion of a year-long, $15 million fundraising campaign for a 15.5-acre Training for Life Campus (TLC) in Jefferson City, which will include a new state headquarters.

Last weekend, Jefferson City was host to almost 1,000 Special Olympians, plus their families and friends for the annual state games.

And Special Olympics will continue to be a discussion topic in town as Gary Wilbers, capital campaign chairman chief, works to raise an additional $2.8 million for a few necessities for the outdoor element of the TLC facility, to be located at the intersection of U.S. 54 and Missouri 179.

Necessities like the track, field and lighting.

Wilbers and his statewide committee already have raised the first $200,000 of that goal.

The Jefferson City businessman said SOMO is offering individuals and businesses tax credits from the Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB), in increments of $1,000, and for businesses under the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) credits. The MDFB credits must be used by Dec. 31, while the NAP credits are good through March 2017.

He's optimistic the committee will find donors for the final $2.6 million in the coming months as construction planning continues for the campus. The outdoor amenities, as Wilbers calls the enhancements, will include an artificial turf field, state-of-the-art stadium lighting, a track and other features consistent with a stadium.

Some 16,500 Missouri Special Olympians compete in 21 sports. The new TLC field will offer accommodations for traditional sports like soccer but also new sports like flag football and bocce ball.

Wherever possible, Wilbers said, the TLC will be wheelchair-accessible, opening as many sports as possible to those Special Olympians.

Often lost in the spotlight of the TLC and the fundraising campaign, Wilbers said, is the broader mission of SOMO, beyond the sports. The organization is pursuing three goals, with leadership skills and healthy disciplines in addition to the sports.

"We're about 'Total Personal Development,'" Wilbers said. For instance, 53 percent of all Special Olympians are employed and serve as community ambassadors for the organization.

When completed, the TLC will host 30 camps per year, offering indoor and outdoor activities. Jefferson City was chosen for the TLC after a spirited competition with Columbia. SOMO has suggested Special Olympians, their families and coaches will generate $227,000-$378,000 in economic impact in the first year of the TLC's operation in Jefferson City.

Groundbreaking for the facility is expected in March with completion in the summer of 2018.