The Douglas County Special Olympics Therapeutic Board, an organization that works to ensure the availability of sports programs for those with special needs, has received a donation of $5,000 from CoBank on behalf of Gary Miller, a member of the cooperative bank’s Board of Directors.
Miller is president and chief executive officer of GreyStone Power Corporation, an electric membership cooperative in Douglasville. He also is a director for Wellstar Health System and GRESCO Utility Supply, Inc., an electric material supplier, and is an officer for the Douglas County Development Authority.
CoBank’s gift will help purchase sports equipment and fund scholarships for summer camps. Year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with special needs are provided through the collaboration of Special Olympics Georgia and Douglas County Parks and Recreation’s Therapeutic Recreation Section.
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“There are not many opportunities for people with disabilities to become involved and stay active once they leave school,” said Christie Mills, local coordinator for the Therapeutic Board. “One of the roles that Special Olympics plays is to provide a lifelong pursuit of leisure for these athletes to keep them active and healthy. We are thankful for this gift, which helps us provide the adaptive technology and training to make sure athletes are meeting their full potential.”
Donations also allow volunteers, including coaches, to receive the training needed to instruct the athletes. Program participants range in age from 8 to 60. For the past three years, more than 600 athletes have been involved in the annual Bocce and Softball Invitational in Douglasville. Miller has served as honorary chair of the invitational.
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“CoBank is happy to provide funding for this community effort, which not only ensures that there are opportunities for those with special needs to participate in sports, but also promotes inclusion and understanding,” said Miller.
The contribution is part of CoBank’s corporate giving program, which allows employees and board members to direct bank donations to their choice of non-profit organizations and programs. Through the program, CoBank donated more than $1.2 million last year to benefit local communities where its employees and directors live and work.
About CoBank
CoBank is a $93 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving approximately 70,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.
CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture and the nation’s rural economy. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.
For more information about CoBank, visit the bank’s web site at www.cobank.com.
