Helena Jersey Mike's fundraiser for Special Olympics draws long lines, community support

Helena customers crowded into Jersey Mike’s as every sub sold that day sent 100% of sales to Special Olympics, turning a chain-wide promotion into a local show of support for one of the state’s best-known athlete programs. At the Helena store, the fundraiser centered on Cody Kuhlman, a Tri-County Wolves athlete and employee who signs bags at the shop and handles bread counts each night, giving the event a personal face beyond the sandwich line.

Kuhlman, who was publicly recognized by Special Olympics Montana as one of its health champions in 2018, said he wanted customers to understand what the program means to athletes like him. He told the reporter, “Hopefully, people come to Jersey Mike’s and donate to Special Olympics.” His role mattered in a store where the line stayed out the door, according to general manager Javier Ayala, who said Helena customers were generous even when they arrived without knowing the fundraiser was underway.

Jersey Mike’s staged its 16th Annual Day of Giving on Wednesday, March 25, with more than 3,200 restaurants nationwide donating the day’s sales, not just profit, to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games and the state programs sending athletes there. The company said it hoped to top the $30 million it raised nationwide for Special Olympics in 2025, and said its Month of Giving, which began in 2011, has brought in more than $143 million for local charities overall.

For Montana families, that national total connects to a very local network. Special Olympics Montana says it serves more than 5,060 athletes in 132 Montana communities, with more than 6,800 volunteers helping run local, area and state competitions. The organization also says it has programs in 65 communities across the state and offers 13 sports plus MATP, making one day of sales in Helena part of a system that supports training, competition and inclusion year-round.

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are expected to bring nearly 3,000 athletes together in 16 sports, including athletics, gymnastics, swimming and basketball, with pickleball and cornhole set to debut. In Helena, where Special Olympics Montana’s state basketball tournament is scheduled for Nov. 6-8, 2025, the fundraiser underscored how a workplace, a local athlete and a busy lunch crowd can meet in the same place and still leave a broader impact on Lewis and Clark County.