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It all started on a Saturday afternoon in 1956 when high-school students form across Delaware entered a stadium to play football. Players, cheerleaders, and fans gathered for a game that would feature more than touchdowns - it would raise money to help children with mental retardation.

That event was the first annual Delaware Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game, an inspired idea of two local sports enthusiasts, Bob Carpenter and Jim Williams, who wanted to host sporting events that spread awareness of mental retardation. At the time, children with mental retardation outnumbered those with cerebral palsy, polio, and blindness. While there were nationwide drives to collect funds for individuals with these disabilities, there were no large-scale campaigns to help those with mental retardation.

The DFRC was created to organize future events and distribute the proceeds to Delaware organizations that support people with mental retardation. More than 40 years later, the DFRC is an effective, non-profit organization that has raised millions of dollars to enrich the lives of thousands of children with mental retardation.