SYRACUSE SUBURBS – Last week Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the region banded together with law enforcement agencies, competitive athletes, coaches and others for the yearly “Go for the Gold” charitable campaign benefiting Special Olympics New York.
For the Aug. 11 event outside the Dunkin’ at 7043 Manlius Center Road in East Syracuse, donations were collected in buckets at the end of the drive-thru. Every contribution was rewarded with a coupon for a free doughnut that could be used up until the last day of the month, while donating $25 or more would additionally come with a “Go for the Gold” commemorative shirt as a thank you.
All proceeds generated from the Friday morning fundraiser will support the thousands of athletes across the Central and Southern Tier regions of Special Olympics New York by covering costs for their sporting equipment, meals, travel and year-round training to the point that they participate in the organization at no cost.
Michaela Darbyshire, the associate director of development for the eight-county Central Region and the seven-county Southern Tier for Special Olympics New York, said the goal this year was to raise more than $50,000 with the “Go for the Gold” event across 46 different Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Central New York, including the Dunkin’ restaurants for coffee and baked goods on Erie Boulevard and Collamer Road in DeWitt, Bridge Street in East Syracuse, East Genesee Street in Fayetteville, Fayette Street in Manlius and Teall Avenue in Syracuse as well as locations in Baldwinsville and Liverpool among others.
Lt. Chris Koeppe with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Correction Department said that number of locations involved with this year’s charitable endeavor was a definite boost compared to previous years. He added that there were just four locations for “Go for the Gold” when he latched onto the cause a little over a decade ago.
Through the years, the number of spots has fluctuated, but Koeppe said there are plenty of drivers and passersby who have become repeating contributors locally over time.
“After I retire, I’ll still be involved with this,” said Koeppe, who also helps to organize the annual memorial torch run in DeWitt for Special Olympics New York. “This is the kind of thing that makes me really proud to wear the uniform. Through the ups and downs of anybody’s job, you find something that you can grab onto and really give yourself a purpose, and this is that thing for me.”
He further said that the employees at the Manlius Center Road location always come outside to offer something to eat or drink and check on how the raising of funds and awareness is coming along.
“Dunkin’ is such a gracious host,” Koeppe said. “They’re just really interactive when we’re out here. I feel that the managers care about this cause and this mission, and that’s why they put their best foot forward to try to help us out.”
Tom Santurri, the franchisee in charge of that particular Dunkin’ Donuts, called the charitable effort a “tremendous partnership” that has always been met with “amazing participation” from the company’s customer base.
“The Central New York community is really, really generous to support the local charities and different groups in the area, so we always thank them,” Santurri said. “They appreciate seeing the athletes and coaches and local law enforcement here coming together. All the money stays local too so Special Olympics can keep doing what they do.”
Darbyshire said the name of the event, “Go for the Gold,” references the competitive spirit of the organization’s athletes and their drive to succeed both on and off the field—attributes that she said were demonstrated that morning by Special Olympian Kayla McKeon’s displays of tenacity when trying to secure the most donations possible.
This marks the third year that Darbyshire has taken part in “Go for the Gold” alongside McKeon, who participates in sports such as bowling, soccer, softball and bocce ball and became the first registered lobbyist on Capitol Hill with Down syndrome.
