Special Olympics athlete

MICHELLE KNIGHT/Acorn Newspapers BRUSHING UP-Special Olympics athlete Russel Santop is also an artist who enjoys painting. Although the 42-year-old Agoura Hills resident has been taking art lessons for only six months, one of his pieces sold recently for $250 at a Special Olympics silent auction.

adds art to his résumé

By Michelle Knight

knight@theacorn.com

Agoura Hills resident Russel Santop is an athlete, but also an accomplished artist.

A competitor in the Ventura County Special Olympics, the 42-year-old Agoura Hills resident recently created artwork for the organization’s greeting card program.

The Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization started in 1968 as a way for people with intellectual disabilities to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of sports. The Ventura County branch organizes about 20 year-round sporting events—ranging from Alpine skiing to volleyball—for more than 800 athletes at 50 training sites.

The greeting card program provides funding for the county’s Special Olympics athletes and events.

By showing off their skills, these athletes demonstrate what the Special Olympics are all about, said Peggi Preston, area director.

One of Santop’s art pieces recently started a bidding war at a Special Olympics auction and eventually fetched $250.

Although Santop only recently began taking art lessons, his mother Marge said she loves her son’s paintings and wants to help him work the new hobby into his busy schedule.

Santop works at a Thousand Oaks thrift store each week day, goes to a fitness gym, participates in a bowling league and practices for his Special Olympics events, which include bowling, power lifting, and bocce, a mixture of lawn bowling and croquet.

Russel’s cards can be ordered with or without a printed phrase inside. Contact Preston at (805) 650-7717 for an order form.