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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, February 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 19, 2004 Reorganization gives new life to Special Olympics The revived county program will be discussed on Thursday By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Special Olympics has reorganized in Jackson County as part of a statewide push to reinvigorate a program that almost went bankrupt last year. "We went dormant for several months in Jackson County," said Michael Dolgin, who helps lead an all-volunteer staff locally. "We want people to know we are not dead and buried." The local Special Olympics program, with an $11,500 budget for winter sports, began serving almost 70 people with special needs this month. Athletes have already started training in downhill skiing and snowboarding at Mount Ashland, which donates the cost of lift tickets. The winter program also offers basketball, power lifting and cross-country skiing Advertisement Founded in 1972, Special Olympics in Oregon has offered Olympic-style sports to athletes with mental retardation. The newly reorganized program for Jackson County, which is run by a core group of 13 volunteers, will be the subject of a town meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Smullin Center at Rogue Valley Medical Center. Dolgin, who is retired from the sales and advertising business, said, "The entire state program did come close to going bankrupt last year. However, there has been a total reorganization both at state and here in our county, and we’re very much alive and thriving." In 2002, offices in Medford and Eugene were combined with Aloha and Portland branches to save about $130,000 a year. In 2001, the statewide chapter, which served 5,000 Oregonians with mental disabilities, laid off one-fifth of its full-time staff and faced a deficit of more than $500,000. Dolgin, of Phoenix, co-coordinator of the local program, said the reorganization effort will rely entirely on area volunteers, and any donations collected in Jackson County will benefit local programs. "Before, some of it was gobbled up by the state," he said. Renee Masters, the other co-coordinator of the program locally, said, "I never thought a volunteer group would pull it off, but we are all pulling together." In year’s past, she said local volunteers regarded the state office as the enemy, but that has changed. "It’s just a miracle what’s happening with the state and us," she said. "It’s like they’re working for us. Masters spent Sunday with athletes skiing on Mount Ashland. "We really need coaches like crazy," she said. One of the biggest challenges facing the volunteers is raising donations. A donation from Moose Lodge No. 178 in Medford funded most of the winter games, said Dolgin. Dolgin said considerable friction developed between paid staff in the Jackson County offices and the volunteers. Because of all the publicity over the problems with Special Olympics, Dolgin said donations will be a major point of discussion at the Thursday meeting. The annual budget for the Jackson County program is $75,000, which will have to be raised through donations. "There is a lot of negativism out there and this is what we have to overcome," he said. For information about the program or to volunteer as a coach, Dolgin’s number is 512-1608. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times