Joy in Childhood Foundation presents $15,000 grant to Special Olympics New York to support athletes
Members of the Albany Police Department stand on the roof of the Dunkin’ restaurant on Washington Avenue in Albany, NY during the annual “Cops on Top” event. From left to right: Albany Police Officer Sheila Couch; Albany Police Officer Sadaka Kitonyi; and Albany Police Officer Derek Shultz.
ALBANY, NY; – Dunkin’ today partnered with local law enforcement officials to show their support for Special Olympics New York during the annual “Cops on Top” initiative. More than a dozen Dunkin’ restaurants in the Capital Region welcomed police officers to its rooftops to help raise awareness and funds for the non-profit organization.
In celebration of the event, the Joy in Childhood Foundation presented Special Olympics New York with a $15,000 donation to support its year-round efforts to provide sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Local law enforcement officials stood on the rooftop of participating Dunkin’ restaurants while Special Olympics New York athletes collected donations at each location to help support the cost of their athletic training and future competitions. Dunkin’ provided guests with a coupon for a free doughnut as a thank you for making a monetary donation to the organization.
“Dunkin’ and the Joy in Childhood Foundation are honored to support the vital efforts and programs of Special Olympics New York, which through the gift of sport enhances the daily lives of numerous individuals in our community,” said Dunkin’ Integrated Marketing Manager Eric Stensland. “We’re thrilled to partner with our network of generous guests and local law enforcement to support this important organization and the many terrific athletes throughout the Capital Region.”
“Cops on Top is a fun, important awareness campaign that has a long history within our organization and we are so grateful for the dedication of our partners at Dunkin’ and in law enforcement who make it possible,” said Special Olympics New York President and CEO Stacey Hengsterman. “On behalf of the 67,000 athletes that Cops on Top will support again this year, thank you!”
All contributions generated from the campaign will support Special Olympics New York programs for Capital Region families. The initiative has generated more than $50,000 since its inception in 2015.
Special Olympics New York provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in authentic competition. Athletes, coaches and the people who support them come together for the love of a sport and the thrill of a game.
To learn more about Dunkin’, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or subscribe to the Dunkin’ blog to receive notifications at https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog.
####
About Dunkin’
Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ is a market leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavored coffee, iced regular/decaf/flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ has earned a No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for 13 years running. The company has more than 12,800 restaurants in 44 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country, serving more than 67,000 athletes across New York with year-round sports training, athletic competition, and health screenings. The organization also partners with nearly 150 schools statewide to offer unified sports. All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. Learn more at www.specialolympicsNY.org and #SpecialOlympicsNY.