For almost 20 years, Special Olympics Iowa has hosted their Summer Games on the ISU campus. The facilities at the Iowa State Center, Lied Recreation Center, Beyer Hall and Forker Hall are ideal to accommodate competition for the 3,000 Special Olympians and their families, who participate each May.

But during the rest of the year, when athletes train and take part in smaller competitions and the day-to-day operations of the organization take place, Special Olympics Iowa has been scavenging for space across the state and working out of an office building in West Des Moines.

That changed Thursday in an announcement at the opening ceremonies of the 2003 Summer Games at Hilton Coliseum.

Richard O. Jacobson, Iowa’s most noted philanthropist for athletics, will donate $500,000 toward the construction of a Special Olympics training center near Grimes.

Jacobson has donated money to the athletic departments of all three Regents universities in the state as well as to Drake University. The Jacobson Athletic Building at the north end of Jack Trice Stadium on the ISU campus was built in 1996 with Jacobson as the major donor.

“Richard has helped support the best athletes in Iowa, and now he’s made it possible to support the special athletes of Iowa,” said Chuck Reed, director of marketing for Special Olympics Iowa.

Jacobson said he was happy to have an opportunity to support the organization.

“It’s just as much fun for those young boys and girls as it is for the ‘great’ athletes who are getting the limelight for their accomplishments,” he said.

Rich Fellingham, president of Special Olympics Iowa, said a capital campaign began in December 2001 to raise money for a facility.

“The creation of this facility is going to do a lot of things,” he said.

Fellingham said the biggest advantage of having a permanent building for the organization’s home is the opportunity to do more training of coaches and athletes at less expense.

“We’ve been traveling all over the state, spending a lot of staff time [on training],” Fellingham said. “We can bring in groups of athletes and coaches to do training.”

Fellingham said the land near Grimes for the new facility was donated by Des Moines businessman Bill Knapp.

The Summer Games will continue to be held in Ames, Fellingham said. The hope for the new building is to increase participation by athletes and to train coaches to help their athletes improve.

“It will provide visibility for the organization,” he said.