Samantha Anderson coaches swimmers with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the Special Olympics Blues team. She's raised over $2,000 of a $5,000 fundraising goal on Spotfund and is running the Twin Cities Marathon to boost donations. Her swimmers have progressed from dog-paddling to completing multiple laps and learning new strokes.
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Hello, uh, sippers. I got a special guest today. Um, actually my daughter, who I'm really proud of. She actually works in the tech, uh, technology space, but she's doing something really special that I wanted to get out there to all my followers. She's actually raising money for the Special Olympics. So with that, I want to actually introduce you to Samantha Anderson, let her tell you a little bit about who she is, what she's all about. And how she's trying to raise money for her group of young men and women that are going to be competing in swimming, I believe. Sammy, correct?
Yep. So I work with a delegation. Well, we're called the Blues, and with the Special Olympics, they do a lot of different sports. So some of the sports that my athletes do are swimming, basketball, bowling, skiing, and tennis. And then I specifically am a head swim coach for our team. And I decided that I wanted to raise money so my team can pay for practice spaces, pay for gear, pay for paraphernalia that has the Blues name on it. It's a great way to get these individuals involved in the community and get them active and healthy. And I just love being a part of it. It's one of the best parts of my week when I get to go to swim practice. So I really enjoy it and I'm really excited to share it with you all.
Awesome. So tell me about— you're trying to raise some money. So how can people out there participate to help you raise some money to actually support this great cause, Samantha?
Yeah, so I have a link. It's through a platform called Spotfund, and my goal is $5,000. Right now I'm a little bit over $2,000. You've shared it on your profile. It's also on my LinkedIn profile. Any share or donation counts. It just helps us be able to do what we love to do, be active and get in the community. So if you see that link on Samuel's LinkedIn, or you start to follow me, go ahead and give it a click. You can donate, or you can also share it to your social network. And that helps immensely.
That's awesome. So tell me what you're doing to actually raise money. I think you're— tell me a little bit about this marathon and what you're trying to achieve. And why it's important for people to actually participate with you in this great cause.
Yeah, I, instead of just raising money and asking for money, I decided that I wanted to do something as well to kind of get awareness around the community. And one of the things that Special Olympics does is they're active, they're working out, they're getting out there. So I wanted to run a marathon to raise money for my team and just show that, you know, as someone that is able-bodied and atypical, As well, I'm not neurodivergent. I want to get out there and use my abilities to raise money for my team and then the Special Olympics community. So I'm running the Twin Cities Marathon. So if you're out there and you see me, say hi.
That's awesome. Well, first of all, thank you for raising money for your group, the Blues. Can you just, as we wrap up, tell a little, maybe a story about the Blues and, and what excites you to actually coach Uh, your team and what you've learned from them and what they've learned from you?
Yeah, so, uh, some of my swimmers, when I first started 2 years ago post-COVID, uh, some of them couldn't even really do the front crawl. They'd walk on the bottom of the pool, they'd doggy paddle. And now I have some athletes that are able to get in the water and front crawl, do more than one lap at a time, so they can go down and back. That's 50 meters in Some of them have learned to do other strokes rather than just freestyle. And one of the best things about that is just seeing their excitement when they finish one lap or seeing their excitement when they get to be in the pool and exercise together. And the more I'm with these individuals, the more they open up to me, the more I learn about how they communicate and just get a closer bond with them. It's just a great feeling and it's a fun cause to be a part of.
Oh, that's awesome. So, I know that you're going to raise this money. Everybody out there, I appreciate you giving us a listen. And if you have any questions, certainly reach out for me. I can connect you up with Samantha. And then within my LinkedIn profile and my other social media channels, I'll make sure that you have contact with Samantha and where you can actually donate to a great cause. Sammy, thank you for all you do. for the community and these special folks. And I look forward to coming down there and actually watching, uh, your team compete.
Yeah, absolutely. It'll be fun. Um, thank you so much for having me on.
