Fostering Inclusion Through the Special Olympics

The excitement is growing as Minnesota gets ready to step into the spotlight as host of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. Held every four years, the games celebrate inclusivity in ways that are uniquely powerful for not only athletes with intellectual disabilities, but their families, friends, and everyone cheering them on.  

That includes Dave and Kathleen MacLennan, who are using their fund at the Minneapolis Foundation to amplify Minnesota organizations working to create a more inclusive state.  

This year, the MacLennan family funded 26 Weeks of Giving, an initiative leading up to the Special Olympics that awarded $250,000 in grants to organizations statewide. From the Camp Confidence Learning Center in Brainerd to the Unlabeled Theatre Company in Minneapolis, these grants celebrate lives and work happening across Minnesota.

One grant went to A Great Day Farm in Northfield. “Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities enter adulthood with support systems that are limited or, in many cases, nonexistent,” said Greg Closser, the organization’s chairman and co-founder. “We work to fill that void by offering free, meaningful recreation and community building opportunities that help adults lead full, healthy lives.”

26 Weeks of Giving celebrated organizations across the state, including Best Buddies of Minnesota, Fishing Has No Boundaries, Unlabeled Theatre Company, and A Great Day Farm (banner image). Photos courtesy of Special Olympics Minnesota.

“The 26 Weeks of Giving campaign is about recognizing the everyday leaders who make inclusion a reality in Minnesota,” said Bill Fish, President & CEO of Special Olympics Minnesota. “As we prepare to welcome the nation for the 2026 USA Games, these 29 organizations are helping ensure that Minnesota remains a place where inclusion truly lives. We are proud to partner with them.”

For the MacLennans, the event marks a high point as longtime cheerleaders of Special Olympics Minnesota. For years, Dave and Kathleen have supported organizations that serve people with disabilities, and their children volunteered in high school with Special Olympics and other programs like Theatre for All.

It’s also a moment they are holding to honor the life of a family member with Down Syndrome.

Dave’s older sister, Carole, passed away in 2009 at the age of 51. For years, he and his wife have wanted to do something to create a legacy in her honor—and with the Special Olympics coming to Minnesota, they saw an opportunity.

“When I first started working with Dave and Kathleen, this was something that they talked about immediately,” said Maggie McCracken, Vice President of Philanthropic Strategy & Engagement at the Minneapolis Foundation, “It has been such an honor to help bring to life their vision to honor Carole and support Special Olympics Minnesota.”

In addition to funding 26 Weeks of Giving, the MacLennans made a general operating grant to fuel the mission of Special Olympics Minnesota. The organization used a portion of that gift on a training center at their new space in downtown Minneapolis. It’s named for Carole.

“Special Olympics Minnesota does an amazing job of working to create communities where everyone thrives,” Dave said. “They have played an important role in our family’s lives, and we’re honored to see this gift celebrate and support so many organizations fostering inclusion and supporting so many people across the state of Minnesota.”

Special Olympics Minnesota recently celebrated the opening of a new training center named for Dave’s sister Carole. Left to right: Dave Dorn, Kathleen MacLennan, Maggie McCracken, Dave MacLennan, and Bill Fish.