Courtesy of @lcpiossaac on Instagram
On Oct. 25, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held the “Pie a Pio” event for students, athletes, coaches and staff to raise money for Special Olympics Oregon. SAAC consistently puts on events for the Lewis & Clark athletic community to bring together all teams and coaches through their board of athletes. Their board includes student-athletes from various sports and grade levels, including women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s and men’s swimming, softball and lacrosse.
“I think having athletes from different sports and different classes helps bring different perspectives to the board and really helps us take into account different teams, ideas and schedules when we are planning events. It also allows us to have a broader reach when trying to get all student athletes involved,” SAAC Treasurer Anna Ingadottir ’26 said.
The “Pie a Pio” event saw volunteers take a pie to the face for charity. The group included student-athlete volunteers from the majority of LC’s sports teams, and even two athletic trainers volunteered, Gina Parisi from the athletic training room and Coach Angela Dendas-Pleasant from the weight room. Students paid $3 each to participate and pie anyone of their choosing, which resulted in over $700 raised for Special Olympics Oregon.
“I decided to be pied as a way to show support for the student-athletic committee and the Special Olympics. It’s nice to just kick back and have fun with the athletes I work with on a day-to-day basis. I saw it as a way to be playful and bring some joy into our lives,” Parisi said.
Ingadottir also participated in the event and was pied 16 times by her teammates and other LC athletes. After helping set up tables, buy supplies and organize the event throughout the day, she was thrilled to see the community come together to support a good cause.
“(The event) was super successful and we got so much engagement, and people seemed to really enjoy it,” Ingadottir said.
Special Olympics Oregon is a non-profit organization that fosters inclusion for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities to compete in athletics. They aim to bring people ages eight and up together within their communities while also enjoying physical activities and improving social skills. They provide athletes with 14 Olympic-style sports year-round, where participants train for eight weeks and compete in matches in all regions throughout Oregon. Special Olympics Oregon additionally created a Unified Champions Schools movement, which promotes inclusion and acceptance for elementary to post-secondary students. They bring together students with and without intellectual disabilities as a way for students to feel more included in athletics and the classroom.
“In 2011, the national Division III SAAC started a partnership with the Special Olympics. This was implemented for Division III athletes to provide a platform of recognition for Special Olympic athletes and raise awareness for what the organization does. Keep your ears peeled for upcoming opportunities to support Special Olympics Oregon,” SAAC President Bennett Gazor ’25 said.
The money raised by our LC community will assist the program in providing people with disabilities the opportunity to feel more accepted, respected and comfortable participating in sports.
“At LC, small events like these have a large positive impact on campus. We raised over $700 for Special Olympics Oregon, which is an incredible start to the school year for our fundraising efforts,” Gazor said.
SAAC continues to bring together the athletic teams here on campus, creating events, competitions and community for all sports. Along with “Pie a Pio,” SAAC has started a competition where all athletic teams have one or two buddy teams. Each team attends each other’s sporting events or has team hangouts to gain points and win prizes at the end of the school year. They have also brought more attention to sporting events, attracting larger crowds by promoting each team’s “Orange Out” through posting on their Instagram, putting up flyers around campus and passing out shirts and prizes at games. Keep an eye on their Instagram, @lcpiossaac, and look out for posters around campus for more upcoming events supporting LC’s student-athletic community.
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