The York Children’s Foundation of Pittsburgh announces that a $500 grant has been awarded to Rainbows for Special Olympics Minnesota. The organization was nominated by Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home.

Kellen Kaasa accepted the grant on behalf of Special Olympics. Kaasa has been active in Special Olympics since he was 8 years old. He has participated in swimming, track and field, bowling and golf.

Highlights over the years for Kaasa have included: representing Minnesota in the National Invitational Golf Tournament in Temeculah, Calif.; being chosen for Team Minnesota for the 2006 National Games in Des Moines, Iowa; participating each year in the Matt Blair Golf Classics; and training through the Athletes Leadership Program.

His parents and siblings have supported him and watched him grow through his involvement with Special Olympics and highly recommend it to other families.

The York Children’s Foundation began on Jan. 1, 1992, as a joint project of The York Group of of Pittsburgh and the York Distributors Association. Each time a York casket is sold, and the funeral director returns a registration card, York and the distributor who sold the casket match donations to the foundation. Funeral directors across the country nominate organizations who spend at least 50 percent of their time and resources helping children in their communities. Each quarter, a board of trustees, made up of funeral directors and distributors, select the most worthy nominees to receive the grants.

Since 1992, The York Children’s Foundation has donated more than $2.5 million in grants to more than 800 organizations throughout the United States. Artco Casket Company Inc. of Lenexa, Kan., is the York distributor that co-sponsored this nomination. The sales representatives of Artco Casket Company have assisted their customers and friends in obtaining more than $514,000 in donations for organizations in the Midwest over the past 18 years.