SPRINGFIELD – One of Springfield’s neighborhood bars was recently honored by Special Olympics for their part in a partnership spanning more than a decade.

The Don Dowd Spirit of Special Olympics Award sits in a prominent position behind the bar at Paddy’s Irish Pub after General Manager Blake Bryan accepted it on the Sixteen Acres establishment’s behalf at a ceremony at The Big E earlier this year.

Bryan explained the bar’s involvement with Special Olympics Massachusetts kicked off almost immediately after its grand opening in 2005 when owners Tim and Danny Dineen and Tom Murphy opted to support an organization with which they felt personally connected.

“From there we have developed this relationship with them where it’s not just a cause; it’s almost like a family mindset,” he said. “We’ve made some great relationships over there, especially with [Board of Directors member] Frank Quigley, who is a good friend of ours now.”

Paddy’s early fundraising efforts revolved around a New England Patriots tailgate party, but within a couple of years, the rubber started hitting the road, literally, with a team of patrons and employees running the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race in support of the cause.

“What started off with just a mindset of just having myself run and get sponsorships toward Special Olympics turned into this almost institutional thing,” Bryan said. “We started with a bus or two and now we have like four buses every year and 200-plus people. Our average donation is anywhere from $4,500 to $5,500.”

In advance of the race, supporters can also sponsor a paper shamrock for $1. Shamrocks regularly wallpaper the interior of Paddy’s from January to mid-March.

“That’s like every patron through the door throwing a buck our way,” Bryan said. “We’ve been able to consistently do about $2,000 a year just through those shamrocks.”

Paddy’s is also a gold-level sponsor for the Special Olympics Massachusetts golf tournament. All told, Bryan estimated the bar’s total contribution to the organization at nearly $50,000. The award, he added, was a symbol of the support Paddy’s has received from the community.

“Year after year after year there are specific donations that don’t get individually recognized by Special Olympics, but we know how much time, and effort and time and care a lot of people have put into this,” he said. “So for those people to see this and know they were a part of it, it’s a nice gesture.”

In addition to Special Olympics, Paddy’s has undertaken other philanthropic efforts, such as annual support for the Toys for Tots campaign. He said he has always been impressed with the level of participation the establishment’s charitable endeavors attract.

“It’s really nice that we’re able to use Paddy’s as the place where these things happen, and over time it becomes kind of an institution and year after year people look forward to it,” he said.