CHICAGO — A Special Olympics athlete’s lifelong dream of singing the national anthem at Wrigley Field is about to come true, thanks to his own tenacity. Last month, Stefan Xidas sent a proposal to the Cubs: if he could raise $5,000 for the Special Olympics, would the team consider letting him sing the national anthem at Wrigley Field before a game?
Well it turns out that Xidas raised more than double that figure — $11,479 as of Thursday — and now his dream will come true. In a letter to donors on his GoFundMe page, he explained his passion.
“I’m 30 years old and have Down syndrome,” the page read. “A dream of mine has been to sing the National Anthem at a Chicago Cubs game.”
Xidas said he’s been a Cubs fan for “as long as he can remember.” Last month he penned a handwritten letter to owner Tom Ricketts asking him to consider the deal.
Cubs Charities has matched the money Xidas raised, donating over $22,000 to the Special Olympics.
On his GoFundMe page, Xidas explained that Special Olympics is Illinois’ largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities. He said all funds raised will go to the equipment, attire and health supplies that “can help transform an athlete’s life.”
Xidas sang the national anthem at a White Sox game in 2005, and sang again at the Nielsen/USTA tennis tournament in Winnetka in 2012.
In true sportsmanship, Xidas said he’d still donate the money raised to the Special Olympics if his dream didn’t come true. But come Monday, he’ll stand proudly under the famous Wrigley marquee in front of thousands of fans and sing the national anthem with pride.
Image/video via YouTube