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lockportlegend.com LIFE & ARTS
the Lockport Legend | November 9, 2017 | 17
Trivia Mania benefits Special Olympics Illinois
Amanda Del Buono
Freelance Reporter
Community members,
leaders, families and friends
tested their knowledge Saturday,
Nov. 4, at the Lockport
Police Department’s
sixth annual Trivia Mania
trivia night benefitting Special
Olympics Illinois.
“We put together this
event because we want to
raise money and awareness
for Special Olympics,” said
Debbie Schenk, patrol officer
for the Lockport Police
Department who organized
the event.
Trivia Mania is just one of
several fundraising events in
which the Lockport Police
Department participates to
benefit the Special Olympics,
Schenk said.
“We do a lot of things. We
do the Culver’s event where
we wait tables, we sit on the
roof top of Dunkin’ Donuts,”
she said. “… We’re on pace
to raise about $22,000 this
year.”
Kicking the evening’s
festivities off, 23-year-old
Special Olympics medalist
Rikki Kirsch, of Shorewood,
gave a presentation about the
Special Olympics and its relationship
with the Lockport
Police Department.
Then, 13 teams competed
in this year’s trivia challenge,
the most teams to participate
in the event, Schenk said.
The competition consisted
of 10 rounds, each with 10
questions. Lockport Sgt. Brian
Phelan acted as the emcee
for the evening.
Although some of the
teams were made up of regular
trivia players, others were
excited to try something
new. Andrew Kahn, a Homer
Glen resident, attended the
trivia benefit night for the
first time on Saturday.
“It’s my first time. I had
some friends who told me
about it and it sounded like
fun,” he said. “… It’s for a
good cause, and I thought it
would be neat to support the
cause and have a good time
doing it.”
In addition to trivia, the
event included dinner and
several raffles, which featured
items donated by local
businesses and community
members; however, the
cause remained at the core of
the event.
“It’s important to me that
residents, police, everybody
understands the importance
of what Special Olympics
is about,” Schenk said. “It’s
a fun event, but also is for a
good cause. … And the great
thing is, because of all of the
donations, everything goes
to [Special Olympics].”
Among those who attended
were several community
leaders. State Rep. John
Connor said he’s attended
the trivia benefit every year
since it began.
“This is a wonderful
event,” he said. “For me
what’s significant this year is
I’m playing against my former
trivia teammates from
the State’s Attorney’s Office.
I’ve attended the Special
Olympics trivia contest and
donated since it started.”
Also in attendance were
Superintendent of Taft
School District 90 Pamela
Kibbons and her husband
Shawn Collins.
“I’m here because benefitting
children and supporting
their opportunities [to further
their] education is at the
heart of what we do in education,”
Kibbons said.
Collins, battalion chief
at the Buffalo Grove Fire
Department, added: “Obviously,
I came to support my
wife, and the Special Olympics
is a great cause. Coming
to support them is a great opportunity.”
Jim Phelan writes an answer for his team Saturday, Nov. 4, During the Special Olympics Illinois Trivia Mania at John Olson
American Legion Post 18. Photos by Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media
Debbie Schenk (left) and Rikki Kirsch discuss the fundraiser.