It’s All About the Athletes
Nov 12, 2025 10:17AM ● By Seth Henderson
DAVIS, CA (MPG) - The Special Olympics Fall Games Soccer Championship and Guardian Games community fundraiser took place at Russell Field on the University of California, Davis campus on Nov. 8, featuring hundreds of athletes and more than 1,000 spectators.
Senior development director for Special Olympics Northern California, Melissa Kelley, said that it takes hundreds of volunteers, several sponsors and equipment from three different Special Olympics locations to put on the event. Athletes have been training for the soccer championship for months, Kelley said, competing in various regional events to determine a list of finalists to compete in the Fall Games for a gold medal.
“It always comes back to our Special Olympics athletes at the end of the day,” Kelley, 43, said. “The most fulfilling and rewarding thing is, seeing all the smiles and the fist bumps and the high fives and the celebrating, and these athletes, they train hard.”
Twenty-nine-year-old Special Olympic athlete Morgan Fox, competing in the soccer championship with the Tuolumne Ravens, said that in addition to soccer, she competes in swimming as well as field hockey.
Holding her trading card, Special Olympic athlete Morgan Fox, left, competed in the soccer championship with the Tuolumne Ravens, said that in addition to soccer, she competes in swimming as well as field hockey. Photo courtesy of Tyler Krochmal, Special Olympics
Fox said she has been competing in the Special Olympics for more than 10 years and that her mom helps the sports team to set up large events, such as the Fall Games. Fox helped set up for the event on Nov. 7 and said that she was excited to compete in the championship with her teammates.
Fox said, “We work as a team, altogether. It's very exciting to see us all as a team.
“It's worth it. Being here and being productive. I'm really a hard worker when it comes to that.”
Kelley said athletes had the opportunity to have their own trading card made, displaying certain “stats” about the athletes, such as their favorite sport or food. The collectible trading cards are a courtesy from one of the event’s sponsors, New York Life.
The second annual Guardian Games fundraiser features activities such as putting greens, rubber axe throwing, cornhole and other game stations for a unifying event, meaning people with and without intellectual disabilities can compete together. The Guardian Games fundraiser seeks to raise $75,000, currently raising more than $46,000 as of press time.
More than 300 events take place for the Special Olympics athletes every year across 11 different sports throughout the year. Photo courtesy of Tyler Krochmal, Special Olympics
“Teams of eight will be comprised of business and community leaders, two Special Olympics athletes and one Law Enforcement Torch Run representative to compete in a variety of sports and activities,” according to the Special Olympics website. “Law enforcement supports Special Olympics throughout the year and local personnel serve as the “Guardians of the Flame” for the Special Olympics Torch.”
Northern California Special Olympics athletes from as far south as Monterey and as north as the Oregon border ventured to the UC Davis campus for the games, Kelley said, and sponsors such as the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Enterprise, Dutch Bros or others helped provide funding as well as volunteers for the event. Kelley said the games also have corporate volunteers from sponsors such as a year-round partner of the Special Olympics, Flyer Energy, and DentaQuest.
“Many hands make light work,” Kelley said. “So, when the community can support either through a financial investment of their time or a combination of both is really what makes all the magic happen, and we couldn't do it without that type of support.”
Volunteers for the Special Olympics Fall Games and Guardian Games set up equipment throughout Russell Field at UC Davis on Nov. 7. Photo by Seth Henderson
Hayden Hill, a 25-year-old management trainee with Enterprise, volunteered for the 2025 Special Olympics, helping to set up and tear down equipment, such as tables and chairs at the event. He said he has been with Enterprise for more than two years and was participating in his first Special Olympics event, coming from Redding to volunteer.
“It takes everybody, so we have about six or seven people here from Enterprise, and just got a good group out here,” Hill said, “meeting a lot of new people today and kind of just getting out there, and in the community.”
Kelley said that more than 300 events take place for the Special Olympics athletes every year across 11 different sports throughout the year. She said the multiple donations from various sponsors help fund activities for athletes throughout the year.
“Every $500 donated to the organization provides one athlete an entire year's worth of services, which is community sports, which is what we're doing here, fall games,” Kelley said. ”We also have an athlete leadership program where athletes receive training on public speaking, receive support with prepping for interviews. A lot of our athletes end up finding employment through the skills that they learn in our athlete leadership program.”
To donate to the Special Olympics and fund activities for athletes at no cost to the athlete’s family or learn more about the Special Olympics organization, visit https://sonc.org/. To learn more about the Fall Games, visit https://sonc.org/events/fall-games/. To learn more about the Guardian Games, visit https://sonc.org/events/fall-games/guardian-games/. The Special Olympics Northern California office is located at 1401 Halyard Dr. in West Sacramento and can be reached by phone at (916)375-1930.
