More than 9,000 fans packed the Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton for the 2013 Donald Driver Charity Softball Game on Sunday, June 16.
Among the crowd were Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI) athletes Nick Smithback and MaCayla Best who accepted a $10,000 check on behalf of the organization. The two lucky SOWI representatives also had the chance to pose with Donald Driver and spend some time in the dug-out with the rest of Green Bay Packers players.
“Nick was so thrilled and excited to be a part of it,” said Nick’s father, Dan Smithback, who is also a SOWI coach. “He had a great time.”
The sold-out crowd cheered on past and present Packers players as they battled to see which side–offense or defense–would come out victorious. Players who participated in the light-hearted game included: former Packers running back, Ahman Green; current guard and center, Even Dietrich-Smith; tight end, D.J. Williams; and Williams’ dog, Shadow, who tried to catch in-field pop-ups throughout the game.
The annual charity event raises money for the Donald Driver Foundation. Donald and Betina Driver started the foundation to help homeless families, support health and wellness initiatives, and improve educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Wisconsin and Driver’s hometown of Houston, Texas.
For photos of the event, visit the SOWI Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialolympicswisconsin/sets/72157634214545628/.