Upshur County Special Olympics director updates Rotary on how their funding assists the organization

Special Olympics director Dion Wamsley told the local Rotary Club that rising travel, facility and accreditation costs are stretching the budget. He’s increased athlete participation and is asking the community for fundraising ideas ahead of the Feb. 28 Polar Plunge.

Monica Zalaznik
January 7, 2026

The director of Special Olympics of Upshur County told the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur that most of their funding goes toward travel and accreditation fees.

Dion Wamsley, director of Special Olympics of Upshur County, attended the Jan. 6 Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur meeting to outline how he spent the $700 donated by the club.

“We have about 11 or 12 sporting events. We do basketball, basketball skills, we do bowling, we do unified sports, which is getting very big. Let’s say you have a child with special needs and you need to play with them — you get to be in that sport with them,” Wamsley said. “We’re just starting spring games right now.”

Spring practices run 10 weeks until the tournament in Morgantown on March 14-15.

Team Basketball practice started January 3 and runs Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the WVWC auxiliary gym. Basketball Skills practice started January 4 and runs on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Way of Holiness church. Cheerleading practice starts January 9 and runs Fridays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stockert Youth and Community Center.

Wamsley said the number of athletes has increased this year.

“That also means more money. We’re doing our accreditation right now, and our accreditation is almost going to double,” Wamsley said. “The $700 went to about $12,000 worth of event stuff that we have to spend. We do fall, spring and summer events, and for two of those seasons we have to stay overnight because they’re two-day events, so we have to travel.”

Wamsley also detailed their struggles with increased pricing on facilities and buses.

“The school system charges $1,100 for a bus. I’m getting vans because they’re a lot cheaper right now. They also want to charge me $15 an hour to use the field, which we really can’t afford to pay,” Wamsley said. “We’re using the Way of Holiness church. We have also used the college, but the college will not let us use their facilities after this year, so we’ll have to find another facility.”

Wamsley said West Virginia Wesleyan College is planning to change its policy next year so outside entities cannot use its facilities when students are on campus.

“To give an example, we do softball in the summer, so I can use that softball field because kids will be gone, but whenever students are in, we cannot,” Wamsley said. “We practice 10 weeks before an event, and we do spring, fall and summer sports.”

He asked everyone in the community to share any fundraising ideas.

“If anybody knows anything I can get involved with for fundraisers, to try to raise money for this organization, I’m all ears — it’s a great thing,” Wamsley said. “The Way of Holiness is one of our go-to facilities. We do our meetings out there, we did our Christmas party there, and we have our prom coming up. The girls at Wesleyan do it over at the Opera House now.”

Their annual Polar Plunge will also take place Feb. 28.

“The state [organization] has given us 40% of that take this year. It will probably raise about $16,000, and we’ll get 40%, so that’ll be a good little lump sum,” Wamsley said.