Diving into 2026: A big year for Special Olympics!

Introduction

[00:00:00] Danielle: Welcome back to the A + You Podcast, brought to you by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. I am your host, Danielle.

[00:00:05] Amber: And I'm your co-host Amber.

[00:00:07] Danielle: And we are actually hosting this episode, unlike our last one.

[00:00:11] Amber: It's good to be back.

[00:00:12] Danielle: It's good to be back.

[00:00:14] Amber: Yes.

[00:00:16] Danielle: Amber, I have a question. Out of the 19 plunges you've done? Which one was your favorite?

[00:00:25] Amber: Ooh, probably my. Seventh one in White Bear Lake because the water was high enough to go over my head, but not to where I thought I was going to drown because there was one where it was really deep and I had to swim. And that was very unpleasant for anyone near me because I didn't know them at that point.

[00:00:48] Danielle: Oh, so seven. I like how specific that is.

[00:00:51] Amber: Yes. 'cause I like to cannonball. 'cause if you don't get your hair wet, it doesn't count.

[00:00:56] Danielle: Ooh. And so I'm assing you've had frozen hair by the time you get out.

[00:00:59] Amber: Yes.

[00:01:00] Danielle: Yep.

[00:01:01] Amber: But there's a lot of hairspray in it, so it doesn't really change. 'Cause the day of plunges, it's, you wouldn't know what color hair I have that day. So it's been many a color of hair, different colored hairspray.

[00:01:15] Danielle: I love that. I'm taking notes 'cause I, you know, I've never plunged.

[00:01:21] Amber: Danielle, I did not know that. Did I know that? Maybe I didn't because now, now I get to pressure you lovingly with committing to donate to your plunge to help make you hit your goal so that way you'll jump. You like that pressure?

[00:01:38] Danielle: Tricky.

[00:01:39] Amber: I know.

[00:01:40] Danielle: Tricky. Tricky.

[00:01:41] Amber: It was so kind. It wasn't go jump in a lake, it was, I will help you reach your donation goal.

[00:01:45] Danielle: So if I do my first plunge. And you do your 20th plunge, we could do it together.

[00:01:50] Amber: Done. Okay. But it has to be in January.

[00:01:53] Danielle: Should we.

[00:01:54] Amber: Colder the better.

[00:01:55] Danielle: Okay. We'll make a special note. Film the plunge because Danielle will be screaming.

[00:02:03] Amber: And remember, once we get to the jumping point, when I jump, I throw elbows. So I don't know you, so just jump after me.

[00:02:12] Danielle: I throw elbows. Amber's famous last words. I throw elbows.

[00:02:17] Amber: I do. And I'm like, remember, I don't know you.

[00:02:19] Danielle: You're so funny. Well, we're talking Special Olympics today. Because we have a very special guest.

[00:02:26] Amber: We do, do you wanna introduce our guest or should our guest introduce himself?

[00:02:31] Danielle: Bill?

[00:02:31] Bill: Sure. Well first and foremost, thank you for hosting me. This is a, a pleasure and on behalf of Special Olympics, Minnesota, I'd like to thank Affinity Plus for all the great work that you all do for not only Special Olympics, Minnesota, but, but the entire state of Minnesota and, and the nonprofit world. I'm Bill Fish. I am eight months in as the, new CEO for Special Olympics, Minnesota. Having said that, I've got 35 years working with Special Olympics, half my time in Wisconsin and the other half back here at at home in Minnesota.

[00:03:02] Danielle: Awesome. Hot take when I was like fresh outta college, had no life experience at all. I had an interview at Special Olympics, Minnesota.

[00:03:11] Amber: Oh, at Minnesota. I thought you were gonna stay Wisconsin. And I was like, okay. Danielle.

[00:03:15] Danielle: No, in Minnesota, I didn't work out, but I, because I was probably not qualified for whatever job I was applying for, but it's always been like, now I, I don't even know. You're probably not even in the same office, but I'm like, oh yeah, I did that interview there that one time.

[00:03:29] Amber: That one time.

Polar Plunges

[00:03:30] Danielle: That one time. For those that don't know, Affinity Plus is a proud sponsor of Special Olympics, Minnesota. We partner with y'all to do the plunge every year. So we sponsor a lot of the campus Plunges. We participate all of the Plunges Amber's Plunge.

[00:03:49] Amber: We try

[00:03:49] Danielle: 19 times.

[00:03:52] Amber: My record's only three in one year. I don't think I can do that again. That's a lot. Bill, how many times have you plunged?

[00:04:01] Bill: Far too many. Yeah.

[00:04:02] Amber: You lose count after a while.

[00:04:04] Bill: Yeah. Probably a 50 or 60.

[00:04:05] Danielle: Oh, that, gosh.

[00:04:06] Amber: That's so cool.

[00:04:07] Danielle: I'm like cold thinking about it.

[00:04:09] Bill: It's, it's honestly, it's really not that bad. It's, and, and, you know, when we were talking earlier, Amber, you know. You had, I gotta talk to our quality control team because, we typically try not to have it over somebody's head. It's four feet deep as our goal, so, our apologies on that one.

[00:04:25] Amber: There was only one year where I had to swim and I was like, this is scary.

[00:04:32] Bill: Still fun nonetheless, right? Yeah.

[00:04:34] Amber: Yes.

[00:04:34] Bill: And, and of course it's for a great cause. And, and you know, who'd have thought that we could have. On an annual basis, 25,000 plus Minnesotans jumping into freezing cold water for a great cause in our Special Olympics athletes, and really truly at the end of the day making a difference in a lot of people's lives.

[00:04:52] Amber: I just love the breakdown of how, you know, where your donations going and the impact it makes within Special Olympics, but then like across the state, how you can see how each area has raised so many funds, or if it's a record year and like how plunges have been added. Year after year. I don't know how anyone keeps up with it. That has to be. A lot of manpower.

[00:05:13] Bill: There's definitely logistics that go into this. We certainly, you know, we've got our local committees, we also have law enforcement that helps with some of the logistics as well. Super helpful. I will just, I, I'll say this, I mean, obviously. Affinity Plus and Special Olympics have been partnering for a long time. And, and we're again, very appreciative of that. But what a great fit with Polar Plunges you guys are across the state. I think every location that we have, there's an Affinity Plus branch. So there's a natural tie there and, and we just love it. We love having you guys out, and hosting. Your, teams and you guys raise great dollars for the organization. Dave Larson, your CEO is, is obviously invested as well and certainly.

[00:05:57] Danielle: Always jumping.

[00:05:58] Bill: Yeah, absolutely.

[00:05:59] Amber: He swims, he stays out there. He does not throw elbows. I'm like, get me out. And he's like, I'm relaxing.

[00:06:07] Bill: Well, I'm not sure if this is a safe space for this, but, I do remember having those conversations that very first year that Dave decided to jump into the cold water and, he did not think it was for him. He's like, this is not gonna be a great experience Bill. But he jumped in and, and, he was brave in the attempt and that's something that we say with Special Olympics, our athletes and their oath. But, Dave did great and he's been back every year, ever, ever since, and obviously helped, with his support, you know, getting the, the whole Affinity Plus crew to come out, on an annual basis, which has been great.

[00:06:41] Amber: The first plunge is always the hardest.

[00:06:43] Bill: Sure is.

[00:06:44] Danielle: I believe that.

[00:06:44] Amber: And then after that, it's like, you forget like it is, you are so rejuvenated that day.

[00:06:50] Danielle: I believe that

[00:06:52] Amber: it's, science doesn't lie.

[00:06:55] Danielle: Science doesn't lie.

[00:06:56] Bill: You, you're definitely rejuvenated and you sleep well that evening.

[00:06:59] Amber: Yes. Best night's sleep.

Minnesota is hosting the Special Olympics in 2026

[00:07:01] Danielle: Well, Bill, there are some very exciting things happening in Minnesota with Special Olympics in 2026. So tell us a little bit about what's going on.

[00:07:12] Bill: Sure. We have a lot going on and we're excited. We are, we're hosting the 2026 USA games. There's a local. Organizing committee that's, putting it on, but special Olympics Minnesota, obviously has their hands, deeply in this project as well. It will be the second largest sporting event in North America in 2026 behind only the World Cup Soccer.

[00:07:36] Amber: Oh my goodness.

[00:07:36] Bill: Yeah, which is, you know, that's pretty significant and, and, huge impact on the Twin Cities will be, you know, at the University of Minnesota. That's, that's kind of the main, area where things will, will happen. We'll also be up, in Blaine, at some of the incredible facilities that they offer as, as well.

But, yeah, we'll have 3000 Special Olympics athletes participating, thousands of coaches, and of course we need thousands of volunteers. For those eight days, but, what a great event. It's gonna be eight days long, all kinds of different things outside of just the sports themselves. We are really looking forward to it.

[00:08:13] Danielle: Wow.

[00:08:14] Amber: I didn't know it was that big, like to be the second. Second largest in.

[00:08:19] Danielle: North America.

[00:08:20] Amber: Yeah.

[00:08:20] Danielle: Yeah. Me either.

[00:08:21] Amber: For the entire year.

[00:08:22] Danielle: I know, I knew, I mean, I knew it was a big deal. I know that, Affinity Plus is an, is an official sponsor of the 2026 games. I know we're like creating a lot of excitement around it internally. And we've been, working to highlight, some of the athletes. We are the official sponsor of power lifting, so we're very proud of our power lifting athletes.

[00:08:45] Bill: Yeah.

[00:08:45] Danielle: So, lots of really cool things to look forward to next year.

Affinity Plus, official sponsor of Power Lifting

[00:08:51] Bill: Yeah, Danielle, we are, you know, again, blessed to have Affinity Plus as a gold level sponsor, for, for the USA games, and, and power lifting. You could not pick a more exciting and better sport. Honestly. It is so fun to just watch our athletes across the US compete and the weights that they lift is remarkable.

[00:09:12] Danielle: It's insane. I'm not gonna lie. When we found out we were power lifting, I was like, oh, okay. Like. I really don't know much about power lifting. Like, okay, and then. We did a surprise to announce the team Minnesota, and we got to be involved in that and it was so cool and watching them do this kind of like mini little workout, was so cool. So cool. I'm so much more invested in power lifting than I ever knew I would be.

[00:09:38] Bill: Well even, yeah, and I know that, that the atmosphere will be incredible for that particular venue. And I'm, I know that Affinity Plus will be out there full force with volunteers and spectators and just cheering on.

[00:09:50] Amber: Lots of purple shirts.

[00:09:51] Bill: Team Minnesota of course. Yep. Absolutely.

[00:09:53] Danielle: Lots of purple. We even talked about actually, which I don't know hasn't come to fruition yet, but we wanna get purple pump covers. For the team. Do you know what a pump cover is?

[00:10:04] Amber: What's a pump cover?

[00:10:06] Danielle: I didn't know what a pump cover was either. Let me educate you. It is the, it's like a, an oversized shirt, kind of sweat shirty looking.

[00:10:16] Amber: Oh, is this the sweat one, like to keep the heat in?

[00:10:20] Danielle: Well, that's what they wear when they come out. And then they take, they take it off and it's like they show off their muscles and it's like to pump, like pump 'em up.

[00:10:27] Amber: To pump them. Okay.

[00:10:28] Danielle: See? Didn't know.

[00:10:29] Amber: Alright. Can I get one?

[00:10:32] Danielle: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:10:33] Amber: I wanna show off my.

[00:10:34] Danielle: *Writes AMBER* Amber

What will the 2026 USA Special Olympic Games look like?

[00:10:37] Amber: Showing muscles, lets go. Bill, can you tell us a little bit more of what the 2026 USA games is going to look like? You said eight days, but tell us more.

[00:10:47] Bill: Eight days of, athletic, and sport happening. But of course, there's so much more than that. And I should say that, , this will be televised on ESPN, so it's a big deal. It's a big deal for our athletes and our coaches. Yeah, we're gonna have, you know, a traditional opening ceremonies like you would, you know, see in the Olympics. High level talent will be there as, as well, performing.

[00:11:09] Amber: Always surprise talent.

[00:11:10] Bill: Always surprise talent.

[00:11:12] Amber: I did hear that. It's always a surprise.

[00:11:14] Danielle: June 20th?

[00:11:15] Bill: June 20th through the, through the 26th of 2026.

[00:11:20] Danielle: Right.

[00:11:20] Bill: Whoever marketed that, well done.

[00:11:25] Amber: You'll never forget 2026.

[00:11:27] Bill: And there's gonna be, you know, just like any other Olympics, there's an athlete area as well where it's kind of their downtime and all kinds of activities and things for them to do. But for the general public, we'll have what we call our fan zone. Live music, entertainment, all kinds of activities and activations going on. Just a lot for the general public to come and be a part of as well. So we're hoping obviously to have as many Minnesotans. Out to cheer on Team Minnesota as we can find, and really help them get to that, that level that they desire, right? And, and give their best that they can and hopefully achieve some great, medals and, and opportunities for those athletes and their families. But, yeah, in addition to that, just a variety of things. Every night we'll have a different type of activity going on as well. We obviously are, are huge into health and so making sure that our athletes, are screened appropriate ly, they're at the games. So yeah, there's something for everybody truly. And then obviously I haven't touched on volunteerism, but we're gonna need thousands upon thousands of volunteers to make this thing happen. And so, it's a big thing. We're excited about it. We think it's gonna be just an incredible games. We hosted the 91, World Games back in the day.

[00:12:43] Danielle: Wow.

[00:12:44] Bill: And, and that's where, you know, talk about surprise guests. That's when Prince performed at the opening ceremonies.

[00:12:50] Amber: That might've been why I remember the surprise guests.

[00:12:52] Bill: Yeah. So we, we've got some big shoes to fill there, but, this will be a bigger venue, a bigger footprint for the state of Minnesota. You know, honestly, as we put our bid in, we did it for a purpose and it was to improve the footprint. And not that we have a bad footprint in Minnesota 'cause we have 17,000 participants in our programs as we speak. But, we do this because we wanna create stronger reach. More volunteers on an annual basis. More athletes on the playing field, more young athletes participating, sort of in that infancy of getting involved. And then our schools program, which is our fastest growing programming, more unified, what we call champion schools as well. So all of those things are the reasons why we. You know, put a bid in to, create that type of, mechanism, I guess, or marketing, campaign around the games to grow our base and to come outta the games stronger than we've ever been.

[00:13:49] Amber: That's amazing. It's gonna be hot in June.

[00:13:52] Danielle: It's gonna be hot, but it's gonna be, but that's the perfect time because that's when Minnesota's Minnesotans wanna be outside.

[00:13:58] Amber: Well, and it might be actually perfect weather if it's anything like this year, I feel like summer didn't really come until after July.

[00:14:05] Danielle: It got real hot.

[00:14:06] Amber: It did.

How to support: 26 Weeks of Giving

[00:14:06] Danielle: Real hot, real fast. Wow. That's awesome. Well, there's another, kind of big initiative that ties right into the games, that's happening now and happening later. So, Bill, can you fill us in?

[00:14:21] Bill: Yeah. We've got a program, what we're calling 26 Weeks of Giving, and it's. It really stems from when the Super Bowl was hosted here. They did a 52 weeks of giving. We've been very blessed, Affinity Plus being, the sponsor of this particular, campaign. As well as we have an anonymous donor that's supplying some funds, and what we're doing is, we're gonna be basically giving away funds to like-minded organizations, organizations that, are all about inclusion. Are all about breaking down barriers and, and making the world a better place for those with intellectual disabilities. Creating better accessibility in the state as well. And, and we're looking for, organizations that we can partner with into the future as well. So we're hoping to be able to fund, as many as we can. We, so we're, we're taking applications until the end of this month, end of this month, which is September 30th. And, right now I think we have almost 50. Applications as we speak, and we anticipate many, many more. And so we'll have some really tough decisions, but, we are really excited about this because hopefully it'll create great partnerships, small organizations, larger organizations, those in between, and just creating a really great way to, to help them out, but also to, find some long-term partnership and relationships that we can grow together with.

[00:15:48] Danielle: So if you are an organization that. supports inclusion and in, supports, you know, athletes with intellectual disabilities. This is your time. To put your application in and shoot your shot and hopefully be a part of that 26 weeks of giving.

[00:16:05] Bill: Yeah, and there's a lot of information on our website, special olympics minnesota.org. As a matter of fact, it's on our homepage, so really accessible to get the information as quickly as possible. Yeah, it's, it's gonna be exciting and we really look forward to, making some probably really difficult choices. Yeah.

[00:16:23] Danielle: It's a good problem to have it.

[00:16:24] Bill: It sure is. But, super fun and I'll say one more thing on that. You know, the range for gifts is anywhere from $500 to $20,000. So there's a wide range here. And, and we're just hoping to help with specific projects that can really help move the needle for those other organizations as well.

[00:16:41] Amber: Oh, that's amazing. I think this is kind of like. It culminates everything together between like what Special Olympics does. It's doing good for those athletes, but then now it's doing good for other organizations that also are supporting the same. Vision mission as Special Olympics, but in a different capacity.

[00:16:58] Danielle: So the application process is now, so they're due September 30th. What does it look like? When are you guys making decisions on that? When do those hard decisions have to happen?

[00:17:09] Bill: Yeah. We'll start shortly thereafter and, and have all the decisions made by the middle of December.

[00:17:14] Danielle: Okay.

[00:17:15] Bill: Yeah, so it'll move pretty quickly and then we will have some really creative, fun ways that we're announcing those recipients as we get into the new year as, as well. I believe we'll be potentially doing some of that at some of the Affinity Plus branches, given that your statewide as well.

[00:17:31] Amber: Well, maybe

[00:17:32] Danielle: We don't wanna give away any surprises.

[00:17:33] Bill: I know. I know.

[00:17:36] Amber: But so with its being 26 weeks of giving, it's not limited to 26 organizations just because there's 26 weeks.

[00:17:42] Bill: Correct. Yeah. Okay. Originally we had looked at it at, from that standpoint, but, you know, we wanna make sure that we're supporting as many organizations as we can, in meaningful ways. And that might be less than 26. It might be far more.

[00:17:57] Amber: Yeah.

[00:17:57] Bill: And, and, you know, based off of what we're seeing, it likely would be far, far more. Yeah.

[00:18:02] Amber: Oh, that's amazing.

[00:18:03] Danielle: That's so exciting. So, and then recipients, we'll find out in fun cool ways. That January through June timeframe, is that correct?

[00:18:14] Bill: Yeah, I would say probably more so the first three months of the new year. But yeah, that's kind of the window as we speak.

How to Volunteer with the Special Olympics

[00:18:21] Danielle: So Bill, earlier you kind of touched on, volunteers and so, from what I understand, there are volunteer opportunities. Anytime as it relates to Special Olympics. So can you just, you know, let, tell us about opportunities now and at the 2026 games.

[00:18:38] Bill: Yeah, absolutely. There's always a need for volunteerism with Special Olympics, Minnesota. Whether it's somebody that wants to. Locally engaged in their community with the local team, coaching needs, and, and many other needs across the board there. But, some of the events we have coming up, we've got our flag football, state tournaments coming up, in the near future, as well as then bowling is huge. Our state bowling is, across the entire state, and so there's needs. There as, as well. So you can just go to, again, go to our calendar, special olympics minnesota.org. There's always something for anybody, and we find a place for anybody too. So, you don't need to be a expert in any particular sport or what have you.

[00:19:22] Amber: I was just going to ask. That I don't have to know all of the rules of bowling.

[00:19:25] Bill: You, you don't.

[00:19:26] Amber: I just have to show up.

[00:19:27] Bill: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:27] Amber: Someone will help me know.

[00:19:29] Bill: Yeah. We'll get you trained up appropriately and, absolutely.

[00:19:33] Amber: Awesome. Okay.

[00:19:34] Bill: Yeah. And then in regards to USA games, you know, like I said earlier, there's probably, you know, 10,000 to 15,000 volunteer needs per se.

[00:19:43] Danielle: Wow.

[00:19:43] Bill: So there's all kinds of things, you know, anywhere from helping to serve meals to volunteers or whether it's at the actual sports venues, or helping in some of the, you know, various areas that I had mentioned earlier in the fan zone.

Just all kinds of things. And again, you, we can get you started there as well and get you over to our USA Games friends, as well. But you certainly can go to the USA Games website also. , And they'll show a little bit more detail in terms of what some of those needs might look like. But yeah, there's all kinds of things always for, people to engage with Special Olympics, across the board. And we welcome people.

[00:20:23] Amber: And the calendar's pretty far out so you can plan ahead for a weekday or weekend. It doesn't. It doesn't matter because you have the time of, the ability to plan for it, I guess.

[00:20:34] Bill: You sure you sure can. And, you know, we, we take just about all ages, you know, certainly there's, a threshold, in terms of youth and, and, sometimes we, look past that to a degree. If parents are, are there as well. But, you know, certainly you can ask those questions as well in terms of. You know, what those needs might be and, and whether it's appropriate for certain, ages as as well.

[00:21:01] Amber: Oh, for sure.

How Else can I get Involved? Unified Partners

[00:21:02] Danielle: Well, so as we mentioned, you know, here at Affinity Plus, like we're, big supporters. We volunteer, we plunge, we, show up where and when we can for Special Olympics, Minnesota. But if, you're a member listening or a non-member listening and you're thinking, wow, I'd love for my organization to get involved and to partner with Special Olympics, like how. Can they reach out to you? Or how can they kind of make that connection with their employer?

[00:21:27] Bill: Sure. specialolympicsminnesota.org is a great start point and depending on what somebody's looking for, the, the information will be there. If somebody's looking to become a corporate sponsor, like Affinity Plus, certainly there's that option if somebody's looking to just engage from a volunteer standpoint or to coach, or frankly, if somebody has a potential Special Olympics athlete.

That wants to participate. We can get you hooked up there, in your local community also, you know, or, you know, somebody like yourself if you'd love to be a unified partner. We have unified sports as well, where if you really love to bowl, you would partner with a Special Olympics traditional athlete as a doubles team.

It's a great way to engage and involve and certainly helps us break down barriers. Right. And, make the world a little bit better place from an inclusion standpoint, so.

[00:22:19] Amber: Oh, for sure.

[00:22:20] Bill: So, many great ways to engage.

[00:22:21] Amber: I didn't know you could be a unified partner and not be in college.

[00:22:24] Danielle: I honestly, I didn't know. I didn't know that either. And so, I mean, if you are, so you don't even have to be, you know, I mentioned corporate, but if you're just an individual that is looking to move the needle on inclusion. I mean, you, there's just so many different ways and different avenues you can take to partner with Special Olympics, Minnesota.

[00:22:42] Bill: Yeah. There, there, there sure is. I just think of, all the special relationships that get created through our unified programming. It's pretty cool. And, you know, people come back year after year as golf partners or what have you. Our unified sports also, you know, applies to our team sports as well. So you, you're gonna have a unified basketball team against another. Unified basketball team and, you know, there's certain criteria in play and, and all of that, but, , it's a really, really neat program that we really love.

[00:23:12] Amber: Let's go Bowling Danielle.

[00:23:13] Danielle: Well, I don't.

[00:23:14] Amber: I don't know the rules of bowling. I wasn't kidding.

[00:23:18] Danielle: I would love to go bowling. I'm just not sure they would want my skills to help them compete.

[00:23:22] Bill: There's, there's a place for everybody. There's a, and there's skill levels for everybody as well. I'm hearing unified partners will find you a couple athletes as well, and you guys can go up against each other in some sort of competitive manner.

[00:23:34] Amber: I'm gonna win.

[00:23:36] Danielle: Ah, I dunno about that, Amber. We're probably better as partners than competitors.

[00:23:43] Amber: Yeah. Let's, let's keep this friendship.

[00:23:45] Danielle: Yeah, let's keep this going.

[00:23:47] Amber: It'll be good. Good competition. Friendly.

[00:23:50] Danielle: Friendly competition.

[00:23:50] Amber: Maybe.

[00:23:51] Danielle: Yeah. Something like that.

[00:23:51] Amber: I don't know. We'll, we'll see.

[00:23:53] Bill: Love it. Absolutely love it.

[00:23:55] Danielle: Well, it really sounds like there's a place for everyone within Special Olympics and Special Olympics, Minnesota. 2026 is gonna be the year. It's the year of Special Olympics for our state.

[00:24:07] Amber: Big year.

[00:24:08] Bill: It is. It is absolutely. The year.

[00:24:10] Danielle: And you're gonna need a vacation Bill.

[00:24:12] Bill: Well, hopefully not. Right. Hopefully we have so many more people that wanna participate that. We're just gonna have to really just get after the work. So, that would be the perfect world. But, just a huge thank you to Affinity Plus. You guys are just incredible partners, for our movement. You're making a huge difference in the lives of so many. You're year round partners. We just, we just love working with you all and, and, you're just again. When you, when you talk about what the perfect partner would look like, it's Affinity Plus. So thank you for everything that you guys do. We really do apumpreciate it.

[00:24:45] Amber: Oh, thank you.

[00:24:46] Danielle: I know. That was so sweet.

[00:24:47] Amber: We won't tell your other partners. I'm just kidding.

[00:24:51] Danielle: I speak for all of us when I say it is truly a pleasure to be able to donate our time, to be able to work for an organization that supports the inclusion movement and be a part of Special Olympics, Minnesota. I mean, I personally haven't been part of an organization that has done something, that significant before. So it truly is a pleasure for all of us as well.

[00:25:15] Amber: I completely agree. And working with everyone at Special Olympics is such a joy. Everyone is so responsive. And again, I know we talked about it before we started, but so organized to help. Whatever idea comes to life, make it a reality. And our, our campus plunges is a great example of that. It has been truly amazing to work with Special Olympics.

[00:25:38] Bill: It sure is. And thank you for that. That's something that, you know, we'll definitely pass along to our team. And we have great, incredible volunteers. They just do this year after year. And, again, many of your employees do exactly that, so thank you.

[00:25:54] Danielle: Organizations like yours can't, can't do it without the volunteers. So really we encourage you as individuals who have volunteered for Special Olympics, Minnesota, you know, we'd love to have a huge Affinity Plus members, employees, everyone coming out to volunteer, especially for the 2026 games. And show their purple Minnesota Affinity Plus Special Olympics pride.

[00:26:17] Amber: Yes. Well said Danielle.

[00:26:19] Danielle: I didn't even practice

[00:26:22] Amber: First shot. Love it.

[00:26:25] Danielle: Well, Bill, it's really been a pleasure to have you come in and chat with us about Special Olympics and chat with us about, 26 weeks of giving and the 2026 games. We can't wait.

[00:26:36] Bill: Wonderful. Thank you. Appreciate it.

[00:26:38] Danielle: Be sure to keep up on all things Affinity Plus you. Check us out@affinityplus.org. Check out Special olympics@specialolympicsmn.org.

[00:26:47] Bill: You got it yeah.

[00:26:48] Danielle: All right. And, listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcast and catch us on the next episode of A + You Affinity Plus is federally insured by the NCUA.