'Jingle All the Way' a Success for Special Olympics NJ

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by Lawrence Township-based Special Olympics New Jersey.

A team of 52 employees, family members and Special Olympics athletes participated in Jingle All the Way on Dec. 2 to raise money for Special Olympics New Jersey. Together, they collected over $3,000 in donations.  

This annual event features a competitive road race and a fun run, and the Hinkle, Fingles & Prior team joined over 500 participants at the SONJ Sports Complex on Princess Road in Lawrence Township. Many participants wore festive holiday costumes, custom team t-shirts or funny holiday hats.  

The Hinkle, Fingles & Prior team was led by Team Captain Maria Fischer, who is an attorney with the firm and whose daughter, Traci, is an SONJ athlete. Traci trains and competes year-round in soccer, cross country skiing, basketball and track & field, as well as participates in unified volleyball, where teams are made up both SONJ athletes and members of the community.

Traci was chosen to compete on Team New Jersey at the 2010 National Games in Lincoln, Neb., and is a Global Messenger, trained in public speaking so she can represent Special Olympics New Jersey in public presentations, at events, and to the media. H

er latest involvement is as a member of Athlete Congress, a group of 23 athletes from across the state who are empowered to voice their opinions and recommend a course of action about various facets of the year-round sports training and athletic competition program. 

In addition to Traci, six other SONJ athletes joined the Hinkle, Fingles & Prior team at Sunday night’s race, including Ireland Kosco who competes in Aquatics.

“As a long-time corporate partner with SONJ, we are extremely proud to have such a large turnout for this year’s event. Two of our employees have children who are Special Olympics athletes. They, along with the other SONJ athletes on our team, are inspirational to us all and serve to remind us of our firm’s mission,” said S. Paul Prior, Esq., a partner with the firm.

The 2012 Jingle All the Way raised $30,000 for Special Olympics New Jersey. For more information, visit www.sonj.org.