The registration fee is just $25 per person. At that price, each entry in the 5K Run/Walk means another seriously ill child experiences a VIP game day experience.

Invite your friends and family and REGISTER HERE.

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What does it look like when all three flow into one exciting day? Take a look at these videos:

The story of one Special Spectator and his day at a Northwestern football game is featured on the Big Ten Network.

KXLY reports on the Special Spectators event at Washington State.

The 2010 game day event at Oklahoma is showcased in this video.

The post The Special Spectators Game Day Event – In Videos appeared first on Special Spectators.

Imagine there’s a break in the action – maybe a time out or it’s halftime. You notice a small group of seriously ill kids walking on the field. Suddenly you hear, “Ladies and Gentlemen please direct your attention to mid-field.” The announcement continues to tell you about the children, why they’re attending the game and a brief description of Special Spectators. Finally, the crowd is asked to welcome the kids to the stadium. These little fans receive the loudest applause of the game – a thunderous roar. A standing ovation from 70, 80, 90 . . . . even 100,000 fans! Looking around the stands, you see tears being wiped away and hear fans yelling words of encouragement.

Here are a few pictures.

Special Spectators at Colorado during a stadium announcement at Folsom Field.

Georgia Tech Special Spectators on the field with “Buzz” and the Yellow Jacket cheerleaders.

Special Spectators at OU acknowledge the ovation from nearly 85,000 Sooner fans.

The post The Special Spectators Game Day Event – The Stadium Announcement appeared first on Special Spectators.

A Special Spectator at Northwestern wears Dave Eanet’s headset during a visit to the WGN Radio booth

Trying on an Oklahoma State helmet during a visit to the Cowboys’ locker room

Special Spectators greet the Hoosiers just outside Memorial Stadium

Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops poses with the kids during a pre-game visit to his office

The post The Special Spectators Game Day Event – Special Access appeared first on Special Spectators.

The Fighting Illini’s Winston Taylor plays with a patient

Temple players visit with a patient at Temple University Children’s Hospital

Northwestern DE Kevin Mims gives a high five during a visit to Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago

Members of the UCF football team spreading some cheer

The Arizona Wildcats during a visit to University Medical Center

The post The Hospital Visit appeared first on Special Spectators.

Families typically arrive two and a half to three hours before kick-off. The kids often meet guests visiting the tailgate including cheerleaders, mascots and student-athletes. Sometimes the families enjoy a private concert courtesy of the host school’s marching band.

The kids are always excited to meet the student-athletes who visit the tailgate. Whether it’s a seven foot center from the men’s basketball team putting a child on his shoulders, playing games like corn hole or touch football, receiving an autograph or just meeting and getting to know each other, the student-athletes are a great source of fun.

It’s not a real tailgate unless you include food. Depending on the game’s start time, we serve eggs, sausage, potatoes and pancakes for breakfast or hot dogs, hamburgers or BBQ for lunch and dinner. The excitement builds when the kids realize that ice cream sundaes will be served for dessert with their choice of several toppings.

None of this would be possible if not for the imagination and dedication of our volunteers. They are involved from the designing and planning phases through the creation of the event on game day. The Special Spectators volunteers have a variety of experience and may be individuals who expressed an interest in getting involved or employees of a generous corporate partner.

The post The Special Spectators Game Day Event – The Tailgate appeared first on Special Spectators.

In the mid-1990′s, I spent three hours each Thursday night volunteering at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. This experience had a profound impact on my life. I met incredibly courageous and inspiring patients and parents who, after an exhausting day at work, would muster the energy and enthusiasm to spend several hours playing, reading and caring for their sick child. I also met unstoppable and devoted doctors, nurses, child life specialists and fellow volunteers, many of whom I’m proud to say are still my friends today. All of these people are still etched in my memory.
 
As a sports enthusiast, this experience also impacted me in a different way. I was surprised to learn that many of the patients I met were big sports fans too. Early in my volunteering, I was silly to think that these youngsters couldn’t possibly enjoy sports since their illnesses limited or prevented them from participating in athletics. I couldn’t have been more mistaken. For many, their passion for sports exceeded that of many healthy children I knew.
 
I was in for another surprise. I discovered that few of these patients had ever attended a game. Their exposure to sports was limited to video games and what they watched on TV.
 
I thought to myself how amazing it would be to not just take these kids to a game, but make them a part of a game. Provide the children with the feeling of being a member of a team with tens of thousands of fans cheering for them and a day filled with special surprises and experiences in and around the stadium that are not available to the average fan.
 
What could be better than introducing these youngsters to the color, pagentry, sights and sounds of college football?
 
Since 2002, Special Spectators has hosted nearly 6,500 seriously ill children, parents and siblings at roughly 200 game day events complete with tailgate parties, locker room visits, meeting players and coaches, and standing on the field for a stadium announcement.
 
The 2012 season is poised to be our biggest ever. Stay tuned.

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