In 2002 the Soccer Buddies program was created to provide opportunities for children with special needs to participate in sports.  It also allowed the student volunteers to learn life skills as well as dispell ignorance and stereotypes surrounding people with special needs.  The volunteers are paired with a buddy and stay with their buddy all season.  The program has been a great success and over 10 years hundreds of kids from all over the state have become volunteers and the program has spawned a non-profit counterpart which has sports of all kinds and year-round.

This case study was nominated for ICMA's Annual Awards Program.