Tomah Agency applauds community for support

The Tomah Special Olympics Agency 6-26 started in 1993 and participates in three sports seasons - bowling, basketball skills and team, athletics and, most recently, power lifting. They currently have 32 athletes and have a strong group of parents and volunteers - some giving their time for over 20 years.

The community members of Tomah whole-heartedly support this Agency. Families coach, are instrumental in running the basketball tournament in Tomah and volunteer in many other ways. Man high school students also volunteer for the Agency and Agency manager Michelle Briner says "it is so awesome to see young people coming out and helping with no strings attached, just doing it because it is good."

The Agency has also been involved in the La Crosse Plunge since its first year in 1999. Briner says she took the Plunge for the first few years and then decided "I was way too old for that cold water…so now I donate to Marlon Mee, the High School principal, who has been jumping…since the 2nd year in La Crosse." Mee started jumping partially to give his support to a few of his students that were part of the Tomah Agency but also because he was challenged by athlete James Sherman.

Mee has thought about hanging up the towel recently but then this fall athlete Ryan Barta, senior at Tomah High School (THS), was voted Homecoming King by his peers. Briner says "Mr. Mee said that he was again compelled to help out when he saw how kind and generous the student body of THS could be and how supportive they could be of all kids, no matter what their differences were." It is apparent that the Tomah community has wrapped its arms (and warm towels!) around the agency.