On Wednesday afternoon, Maine State Police Trooper Rob Flynn of Presque Isle presented a commemorative license plate to the Central Aroostook Associations’ Snowdogs Special Olympics basketball team.
During a break from afternoon practice, the 24-member team gathered excitedly on the bleachers of the Sargent Family Community Center’s gymnasium. Carl Michaud, director of administrative services for the Central Aroostook Association, introduced Flynn and Flynn’s son Hunter, 18, who officially presented the license plate to the team. The trooper then explained how every year the Maine State Troopers Foundation designs a license plate bearing the logo of the charity that they have chosen to fundraise for through their annual auction.
In 2017, the foundation chose Special Olympics as the charity it would support, and troopers from across Maine put the Special Olympics license plates on their cars for two weeks in late fall. After that, the Presque Isle area troopers kept one plate for their office and decided to purchase a second plate for $20 to give to the Snowdogs team.
Rob Flynn, whose family has been involved with Special Olympics for 15 years, said at the ceremony that the license plate has special meaning for the Snowdogs because his son Hunter has been one of the team’s coaches for three years.
“Special Olympics is a big part of our lives and the team loves Hunter, so I think the license plate means just as much to them as it does to us, if not more,” Flynn said. “As Maine State Troopers, we’re always proud to put these license plates on our cars and support different organizations.”
The Maine State Troopers Foundation will sell 330 Special Olympics license plates at their forthcoming charity auction. The date for this year’s auction has not yet been set. All proceeds from those sales will go toward Special Olympics Maine programs.
Snowdogs Coach Brian Hamel said that trooper Flynn’s presentation of the license plate reflects how much the local community supports the basketball team and the players’ dedication.
“They work really hard throughout the season. Ever since the season stopped last year, they couldn’t wait to start playing again,” Hamel said, about the Snowdogs players. “They enjoy having Hunter as one of their coaches and to have him and trooper Flynn present the plate to them is really special.”
The Snowdogs will be playing in a Special Olympics Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Gentile Hall. Opening ceremonies start at 9:30 a.m. with games culminating at noon when the Snowdogs play against the Caribou High School varsity team. For more information about the tournament, contact Carl Michaud at cmichaud@centralaroostookassociation.com
