DUBOIS – During the Pound-for-Pound Challenge, sounds of rolling trash cans could be heard throughout the DuBois Area High School, as “challenger” teams collected blue Goodwill bags that lined the hallways.
The DAHS Pound-for-Pound Challenge was a friendly competition created to help collect clothing and shoe donations for Goodwill. Twenty-two teams, consisting of one Life Skills student and two senior athletes, competed in the challenge.
Each team was assigned homerooms for which they were responsible for encouraging students to bring in donations for the challenge. Each morning the teams would visit their assigned homerooms to collect their donations.
DAHS set a goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of clothing and shoe donations and they exceeded their goal by collecting 12,777 pounds. The donations collected by the teams will stay local and be used by Goodwill to help those with life challenges through opportunity, education, training and work.
In addition to collecting donations, this challenge developed friendships between senior athletes and their Life Skills teammates. The Pound-for-Pound challenge is the kick-off challenge to other friendly competitions that the Pound-for-Pound teams will participate in this spring. The 22 teams will also participate in other friendly challenges at the DAHS Special Olympics Pep Rally.
On May 6, the DAHS will host its second-ever Special Olympics Pep Rally. This year’s rally theme is “Find Your Inner Super Hero,” so the teams will compete in their assigned challenges dressed as their favorite super heroes. The event was created to show support and encourage Special Olympians before they set out to compete at the regional Special Olympics event slated for May 7 at the DuBois Area Middle School.