For the third straight year, Blue-White Weekend will feature the Beaver Stadium 5K Run/Family Fun Walk to benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania. The run will honor Joe Paterno and his achievements during his tenure at Penn State, offering incentives to participants at five different fundraising benchmarks.

The run will begin in front of the Bryce Jordan Center on Curtin Road, kicking off at 11 am on Sunday, April 22nd. Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are welcome to take part in the event, which travels through campus before finishing through the Beaver Stadium tunnel at the fifty-yard line.

Participants will become Team Paterno members after raising a minimum of $62 dollars, receiving the following for each benchmark:

• $62 – Team Paterno ‐ In honor of Joe’s 62 seasons at Penn State.
  • Special Memorial Long Sleeved T‐Shirt

• $85 – Team Paterno Bronze – In honor of Joe’s years of life.
  • Special Memorial Long Sleeved T‐Shirt and Paterno Tribute Coffee Mug from Dunkin Donuts.

• $239 – Team Paterno Silver – The number of Paterno coached players drafted into the NFL.
  • Special Memorial Long Sleeved T‐Shirt and Paterno Tribute 48 x 53 fleece stadium blanket.

• $409 – Team Paterno Gold – In honor of Joe’s career wins – an NCAA coaching record.
  • Special Memorial Long Sleeved T‐Shirt and an invitation for you (plus one guest) to attend an exclusive breakfast with the Paterno Family and PSU Football alumni the morning of the event.

• $548 – Team Paterno Platinum ‐ In honor of Joe’s career games coached.
  • Receive all Gold Level items, plus a Paterno Tribute Hooded Sweatshirt.

The Paterno family has always been a huge supporter of Special Olympic Pennsylvania (SOPA), and Joe served as an honorary chair for their summer games, spoke at SOPA special events, and encouraged his players to participate at their events. Sue Paterno is still a member of the SOPA Board of Directors. This run in honor of Joe is a way for the organization to give back to the Paternos for their unwavering support through the years.

Pre-registration fees for the run/walk are $25 per person, or $100 for a family of five. If you want to register the day of, between 7:30 am and the event start time, it will cost $35. Entry into Beaver Stadium runs a fee of $20 with an event t-shirt, or $10 without the shirt. Participants will receive an official event shirt along with water and other refreshments.

Last year’s Beaver Stadium 5K raised more than $86,000 for SOPA and they hope to top that in the event’s third year. You can find more information, register for either the 5K run or one-mile Family Fun Walk, and set up a personal fundraising page here.