Local Shriners Help Special Olympians Attend The Circus

Tammy Sparks (left front) accepts tickets along with athlete Makenna Farmer (center front) from Gordon Anderson (right front) and a group of Shriners on Wednesday afternoon

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Shrine Circus is once again headed for the Jacobson Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Some local Shriners helped to make it possible for over 40 local Special Olympics Athletes to see the show by donating over 80 tickets to help those athletes attend.

Tammy Sparks, who accepted the tickets on behalf of the athletes, said that there will be “A good bus full” when their bus pulls out of town around 5 pm Friday afternoon to make their trip to see the circus.

“Next year we’re going to work on the little kids, we’re going to get some more of them,” Sparks said of looking for more participants to take along next year.

This is the 3rd year the Mahaska County Shriners have presented tickets to local athletes in what has become a continued tradition for the club.

“We are always on the lookout for kids who need medical help that may not have the wherewithal to do it on their own. We send them to the Shriners Hospital and pick up all the expense,” said Gordon Anderson of the local chapter.

The Shriners also help support Shriners Hospitals for Children, and their statement is as outlined on their website:

Shriners International supports Shriners Hospitals for Children®, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.