RunDunwoody, October 20, Dunwoody

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RunDunwoody is a 5K Run and a Peachtree Road Race Qualifier, 1 Mile Fun Run, Tot Trot, and family festival rolled into a morning of activities on October 20th in the heart of Dunwoody’s Perimeter Place Center.  As a beneficiary of RunDunwoody and long-time partner of the Rotary Club of Dunwoody (the run’s founding and presenting sponsor), Special Olympics Georgia has created a team for the Team Challenge in the not-for-profit category.   Registration fees start at $15 and increase to $35 as it gets closer to the date of the race.  For more information on the race or to register as part of Team Special Olympics Georgia, go to www.rundunwoody.net.

Thanks to 2012 State Games Sponsors!

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The 2012 State Games were a true Olympic experience for athletes across Georgia! Special Olympics Georgia is honored to be able to highlight and appreciate our wonderful sponsors from the Indoor Winter Games, Summer Games, Masters Bowling Tournament, Horse Show , and Fall Games. Thank you for making the 2012 State Games a success!!

Indoor Winter Games

Stadion Money Management

Georgia Natural Gas

Lockheed Martin AERO Club

MetLife

Superior Essex

firstPro, Inc.

Winter Construction

AutoTrader.com

 

Summer Games

Aetna

Jones Day

AmeriFleet Transportation

Men’s Wearhouse

Aon

SuperValu

Cox Enterprises, Inc.

Auto Trader.com

Winter Construction

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

LexisNexis

ADP

Siemens

LAZ Parking

Magnolia Plastics

ALTA Foundation

ING Foundation

American Honda Motor Co.,Inc.

Protiviti

Mary Alice and Bennett Brown Foundation

Finish Line Youth Foundation

 

Masters Bowling

Warner Robins Convention & Visitors Bureau

McDonald’s of Warner Robins & Byron

 Books-A-Million

Golden Key Realty

 Balvaunuca Club

 State Bank &Trust Company

 Walmart #1367

Women of the Moose Chapter 1288

Horse Show

Boeing

Central Georgia Ranch Horse Association

The Pritchett Family

Robins Federal Credit Union

 Walmart #2733

Cobb County 4-H

Georgia Quarter Horse Youth Association

Georgia Quarter Horse Association

 

Fall Games

Carpet City Rotary Club

Shaw Industries Group, Inc.

AXA Advisors

Bennett Thrasher Foundation

Carpet Capital Running Club

Controlled Products

Cycle –Tex, Inc.

Textile Rubber & Chemical Company, Inc.

Wells Fargo

Marketing Alliance Group

Dalton Parks & Recreation

ALROL of America, Inc.

Engineered Floors LLC

Kaiser Permanente

Rock Bridge Community Church

Turner Broadcasting System

State Games Recaps and Letters for 2012

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State Winter Games

Portions of Hall County Coach Scott Crain’s letter about his athletes’ experiences during Winter Games weekend are as follows:

This past weekend 82 Special Olympic athletes and unified partners along with 25 committed teachers, coaches, and chaperones from Hall County took Marietta by storm. The Special Olympics Georgia Indoor Winter Games were held in Marietta, Friday, January 20th through Sunday, January 22nd . This year the Hall County delegation participated in seven different sports competitions. It was amazing to watch these incredible young men and women perform.

Our unified basketball team from Lanier Career Academy came in 4th place in division one, the masters traditional basketball team also placed 4th in their competition, and the 3X3 basketball team placed 4th as well. Our senior traditional basketball team comprised of athletes from JHS, WHHS, and NHHS went the entire weekend undefeated to capture the GOLD in division 11 state play. Spouts Springs Elementary and West Hall High athletes participated in the individual basketball skills competition where Spouts Springs won six silver medals and two bronze medals. West Hall High had an outstanding weekend in skills with two gold medals and 1 silver medal.  

Our bowlers also had a great weekend at Winter Games. Lanier Career Academy brought 2 traditional teams and won a bronze and silver medal.  Davis Middle had one athlete in assisted ramp bowling and he brought home the GOLD!!  Davis Middle School and Flowery Branch High bowled in the unified team divisions where Davis Middle School won 2 silver and a bronze and Flowery Branch High earned 3 silver medals and one GOLD! All of the athletes and unified partners represented Special Olympics Hall County well.

For the first time in Special Olympics Hall County history we had an athlete compete in the Southeastern Regional Powerlifting Competition that is held simultaneously with the State Winter Games. He competed in squat and deadlift where he won bronze and in the bench press where he won the GOLD. He won the silver medal for the powerlifting triple combination in his weight class. There were six southeastern states represented in the competition.

 State Summer Games

The 2012 State Summer Games was the largest in State Summer Games history a huge success May 18-20 at Emory University.  This year we hosted 2,722 athletes, partners and coaches from 67 Special Olympics Georgia agencies across the state.  The weekend was a huge success and the weather was perfect! 

During Saturday’s Healthy Athletes Program, athletes were screened through Special Smiles, Opening Eyes and Fit Feet.  For some athletes, this is their only opportunity to seek professional health care.  Below is the breakdown of how many athletes went through Healthy Athletes:
Special Smiles – 303 Athletes
Opening Eyes – 160 Athletes
Fit Feet – 110 Athletes

State Masters Bowling

  The great city of Warner Robins was our host for the tournament with over 300 volunteers supporting this event from throughout the community and surrounding areas August 24-26.  And the event will be even bigger next year as Special Olympics Georgia is very excited to have the State Masters Bowling Tournament return to Warner Robins for the next three years.  A big congratulations to all of the athletes, partners, coaches and volunteers…without you this event would not have been possible.  Happy Bowling  and see you next year in Warner Robins!

 

State Horse Show

This year the Horse Show held in Perry, August 24-26 at the National Fairground was showed major growth: 19 percent overall!  We had 208 athletes across seven events.    We are excited to announce that the State Horse Show will be moved to the Fall of 2013 and to a new location, Chicopee Woods in Gainesville Georgia!  We are thrilled about the location and time of year change!
State Fall Games

Fifty-one delegations traveled from across the State of Georgia to Dalton Oct. 12-14 for an exciting weekend of competition and Olympic Town activities. The games grew by 2 percent in participation.

The Opening Ceremony kicked off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 12th, with country music recording artist Paul Ruark performing a song entitled, “Special Olympics”, which was written by Special Olympics Georgia Athlete Jordan Freeman, who is affiliated with the local Special Olympics Dalton/Whitfield Agency.  Next, the Parade of Athletes was led out into the arena by American Idol runner-up, Lauren Alena and a few of the Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders.  After that, the Chattanooga Aerials group performed a acrobatic act to tie in with our “Cirque de SOGA” theme. 

The competitions kicked back up on Saturday, October 13th, at 8 a.m.  The Bocce and Softball Team continued out at Heritage Point Park, along with the start of Softball Skills and Long Distance Running and Walking.  The Cycling Venue was held Saturday in downtown Dalton, with a great course set up that was an actual professional circuit course used in the past.  The Golf Skills and Golf Individual and Team hole competitions were held at the Knob North Golf Club on Saturday as well. 

 

 

Poem for Kittie Caston

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Poem written by Cindy Bickman in honor of Special Olympics Cobb County volunteer retiree Kittie Caston

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE EMORY

Twas the night before Emory, and all through the teams,
The blue shirts had shrunk and were busting at the seams.

Kittie, our super hero, was right on the task,
She had a big bag of new shirts, before we could ask.

Off to the dorms, with luggage galore,
Oh, no!  Oh, no!  We can’t open the door!

The keys were mis-labeled, the lanyards all tangled,
And the harder we worked, the louder they jangled.

Can’t think of a rhyme to go in this verse,
But Kittie saved the day, before things got worse.

Dinner was served by UPS volunteers,
Then, Opening Ceremonies – lots of dancing and cheers.

Back at the dorms, all snug in our beds,
Visions of gold medals danced in our heads!

But Kittie’s not sleeping, she’s working all night,
To make sure things run smoothly & everything’s just right.

Saturday, we compete in our sports all day,
Giving our best efforts, come what may.

Let’s hear it for Cobb, the biggest and best!
We brought home the gold, beating all of the rest!

The Victory Dance where we celebrate!
Then, the pizza party, we just can’t wait!

Kittie, please order pizza and organize the meds,
Pack our bags and make up our beds,

Fill out the forms and turn in the keys,
Give us a hug when we scrape our knees.

Your shoe size we know is 22 plus.
Hard shoes to fill by any of us!

Kittie, we love you for all that you do.
And when we grow up, we want to be just like you!!!

Love, Cobb athletes, coaches, parents, and management team

2012 Healthy Athletes Round-up and Looking Ahead

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Healthy Athletes is a world wide program that was started by Special Olympics, Inc. The goal of Healthy Athletes is to take an assessment of the health of our athletes and hopefully get them connected with doctors in their local area. There are 6 disciplines within Healthy Athletes: Healthy Hearing , Health Promotion , Fit Feet, Opening Eyes, Special Smiles, and Fun Fitness. We set up our program in Georgia to coincide with four of our State Competitions: Indoor Winter Games, Summer Games, Masters Bowling, and Fall Games.

Healthy Hearing: This is offered at Indoor Winter Games. Here, our volunteer Audiologists and Audiology students from the University of Georgia perform a basic hearing test on the athletes and let them know the condition of their hearing ability. This year we screened 64 athletes. Our next Healthy Hearing event will be held on January 26, 2013 in Marietta, GA.

Health Promotion: This offered at Indoor Winter Games as well. Here, volunteers from the Cobb County Health Department educate our athletes on proper hygiene, good eating habits, and the dangers of tobacco use. This past year we received a grant for a bone density scanner and we can now give athletes that information as well. This year we screened 60 athletes. Our next Health Promotion event will be held on January 26, 2013 in Marietta, GA.

Fit Feet: This is normally offered only at Summer Games, but in 2013 will also be offered at Indoor Winter Games. Here, Podiatrists from the Ankle and Foot Centers of Georgia perform a basic analysis of the athletes’ feet including gate analysis, proper shoe size and fit, and basic foot and skin care. This year we screened 110 athletes. Our next Fit Feet event will be held on January 26, 2013 and May 18, 2013.

Opening Eyes: This is offered at Summer Games. Here, Optometrists perform an eye exam on the athletes, and those in need are provided with free prescription glasses. The athletes get to pick out there new frames on site and then they are sent to Essilor Labs for lens cutting and assembly. The whole process takes about two months for the athletes to receive their new, free glasses. The local Lions Club is a big supporter of Opening Eyes and volunteers come to each event. This year we screened 160 athletes. 95 received free prescription glasses! Our next Opening Eyes event will be held on May 18, 2013.

Special Smiles: This is offered at both Summer Games and Masters Bowling. Here, Dentists who are part of the Georgi
a Dental Association and Dental students from the Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta perform a basic dental check-up. If needed, we are equipped to provide on-site fluoride treatments, sealants, and mouth guards for competition. This year we screened 303 athletes at Summer Games with 72 sealants, 16 fluoride treatments, and 53 athletes receiving mouth guards. At Masters Bowling we screened 343 athletes with 289 receiving fluoride treatments. Our next Special Smiles event will be held on May 18, 2013 at Emory University.

Fun Fitness: This is offered at Fall Games. Here, Physical Therapists from Bench March Physical Therapy perform a basic analysis of our athletes’ physical fitness level. We measure things such as endurance and flexibility and we also educate the athletes on proper stretching techniques and eating habits to help them stay healthy and safe while competing. Last year we screened 101 athletes. Our next Fun Fitness event was  October 13 and stats will be released soon.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of our wonderful Healthy Athletes events throughout the year, please contact Stephen Sparks: 229-292-6955 or stephen.sparks@specialolympicsga.org.

 

From Jones County High School Teacher Leah Bodnarchuk

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It’s been said that life sometimes makes a full circle… So let me tell you the story of how mine did just that… In the fall of 1996 while attending college in South Georgia, I unknowingly signed up for a course that changed my life.  As a Speech Pathology major I was required to take an education course- Exceptional Children.  Because of this class and a young man named Marcus, whom I met while completing observation hours required for the course, I changed my major to become a Special Education teacher the very next semester.  Marcus was one of the students in the resource class I was assigned to observe.  Marcus met me at the front door of his high school each morning to walk me to class.  His outlook on life and his ability to only see the positive in others was inspiring- he simply made me a better person just by knowing him.  He is the reason I became a Special Education teacher.

I began teaching students in a self-contained Moderate, Severe, and Profound Intellectual Disabilities Special Education class at Jones County High School in the fall of 1999.   Along with a functional curriculum I always incorporated an Adaptive P.E. segment as a part of my daily routine.  Each week I noticed that a lot of general education students would stop to speak to my kids on a daily basis at lunch, in the halls, and on their way to other classes. Our student body as a whole has always impressed me.  Because of their eagerness to mingle with my students I constantly thought that an inclusive classroom segment would work well in our school.  But, I just didn’t know how I could integrate this type of inclusion into an academic setting.  In the fall of 2006, I was asked to help re-establish a local Jones County Special Olympics Board.  I gladly accepted!  As a member of the local SO board, I became more active with my classes bowling team, as well as the local and area games.  Because of my involvement with Special Olympics, my interest in starting a fully inclusive or “Unified” program within our school finally became clear- Why not start a class for the general education population to become partners/mentors to my kids and do it in the form of a physical education class.

 I pitched the idea of a “Unified P.E. Class” to my administration in the winter of 2007 and they were very supportive.  I next took the idea to our local Special Education Coordinator; she was on board as well.  Finally, I sat down with our counseling staff and formed a class description as well as an application process for acceptance into the class.  We held an open enrollment meeting in the spring of 2008 and had over 50 students apply for the class.  Selections for the Unified partners were based on individual class scheduling for each applicant, a brief description of why they would like to be a Special Olympic Volunteer/Unified Partner, teacher recommendations, and parent approval.  The class was established and completely full by the summer of 2008.  With the support and enthusiasm from our school administration, overwhelming enthusiasm of fellow Special Education teaching partners, and support from the Physical Education Department the JCHS Unified Program has proven to be an exceptional addition to the academic character of our school.

Since we established the Unified program at JCHS five years ago, many of our partners have decided to become Special Education teachers because of their participation with the Special Olympics organization and in the JCHS Unified program.  However, one of the partners in particular that stands out is a wonderful young man named Justin.  Justin joined our Unified class in the fall of 2011 as a junior.  He immediately made genuine connections with many of our more outgoing athletes.  However, the most remarkable connection he made with one of our athletes Tucker a nonverbal Autistic young man.   Because Tucker is nonverbal he generally tends to “hang in the back of the pack” but in this case he immediately took to Justin.  They became instant friends!

When I was asked to write an article for Project Unify, I immediately thought of Justin and Tucker.  It warms my heart to see how Justin goes out of his way each day to include Tucker in his day.  Justin meets Tucker each morning and walks him to class, stops by our classroom to walk with Tucker to Unified PE, and eats lunch with him every day as well.  Last summer after nominating Justin to be a student mentor at Camp Inspire I received a call that truly touched me.  Justin called me to say a simple “Thank you!”  He thanked me for nominating him to attend the camp and let me know how being a volunteer at Camp Inspire changed his life. He said that because of the Unified program at JCHS, attending Special Olympics state games, and mentoring athletes at Camp Inspire he had decided to become a Special Education teacher. WOW!  I actually helped someone else find their “Marcus”.  Talk about validation!  So now we are back to “the full circle in life” that I mentioned in the beginning of this article.  I am happy to have been a part of Justin’s journey in life finding his “Marcus” as I did back in 1996.

“My name is Justin, and I am a senior at Jones County High School.  I believe joining the Unified program at my school is the best decision I have ever made. The Unified Special Olympics program has shown me that though obstacles are thrown at me I can always rise above them!  Over the past two years I have been given the awesome opportunity to work and play alongside some of the greatest kids on earth. Since joining Unified, I have developed one of the best friendships of my life with my friend Tucker.  When I first met Tuck, he did not talk at all.  He basically stayed away from everyone.  After a couple of weeks in class together, I decided to talk to him.  At first I did not get much of a response. But, after a couple of days he began to respond more and more.  After a week, Tucker began to choose me as his partner.  We would run our laps together, complete our class stretch routine together, and play our assigned game each day together.  One day we even lead the class stretch routine together!  Then I started eating lunch with Tuck each day and walking to almost every class with him.  Simply “hanging out” with Tuck is where I realized how much I like working with Special Needs kids.  I guess that’s why my teacher’s selected me to go to Camp Inspire.   After going to camp I discovered that I didn’t like working with special needs students- I LOVED it!  When I returned home I couldn’t thank Mrs. B enough.  I was so grateful that she started our Unified program and that she saw something in me that deserved to be nominated to attend Camp Inspire.  If it were not for her starting our Unified program I would never have known my true calling in life to become a Special Education teacher.  I thank her and all of my other Unified coaches for all they do!  I especially thank Tucker- for being my friend.” ~ Justin Daniels

As an educator and coach, I am most proud of the Unified program here at Jones County High School because of the friendships that have been made between our students/athletes and their partners.  Because of the Unified Special Olympics program our student athletes have been empowered with independence, personal friendships, and a since of belonging to the school culture here in Jones County. They not only belong to a school athletic team, they compete at a state level each year, and they form lifelong friendships on campus as well as throughout the state.  However, I am most proud to say that we have been the facilitators’ of many of our Unified Partners finding their “Marcus” in life as Justin did with Tucker.  It is most definitely great to be a JONES COUNTY GREYHOUND!

Sincerely,
Leah Bodnarchuk
Jones County Special Olympics Coach
Jones County SO Committee Volunteer Chairperson

AND

Justin Daniels
Jones County High School student
Unified Partner

 

Strike the R-word with Eryn Woods

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Let the Bidding Begin! Visit SOGA’s newest site for great items!

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Visit our Special Olympics Georgia Bidding For Good website at www.biddingforgood.com/soga to bid on great items to help raise money for our athletes! Auction items range from vacation getaways, airline tickets, and original artwork by some of our athletes to donated items guaranteed to delight and surprise. So, tell your friends, family, and community. Let the bidding begin! You can also donate items to place on the website for bidding as well. For more information, visit www.biddingforgood.com/soga.

Letter about Special Olympics Rugs

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Dear FANS of Special Olympics,

Many of you already know about our Rugs for a Reason campaign, launched late last year as a pilot program fundraiser for Special Olympics Georgia and South Carolina. These beautiful machine woven, high quality area rugs incorporate the Special Olympics logo in a stylish, subtle design. Rugs are available in three styles and sizes, with price points ranging from $199 to $549.

Best of all, a large majority of each purchase benefits athletes in these states, thanks to a generous partnership between Rugs for a Reason founder Paul Prince of Door to Door Floors in Columbia, South Carolina and Shaw Industries in Dalton, Georgia. Here’s the urgent message: this pilot program ends August 31, 2012.

To justify a national launch as an ongoing fundraiser for Special Olympics North America, we must sell at least 200 rugs in South Carolina and Georgia in the next 120 days. We believe this is a feasible goal. These beautiful rugs are ideal for homes, businesses, Project UNIFY and other classrooms, and anywhere you want to add beauty, comfort and style while supporting a worthy cause. If your budget allows, please buy one. If you have friends, family members, business colleagues or others who might be interested in buying a rug for themselves or for an athlete’s family, please spread the word and urge them to act quickly.

Forward this email and share our website on Facebook and Twitter. Just as we know our athletes can and will succeed when given the chance, we also believe that with our strongest supporters as Rugs for a Reason ambassadors, more than 200 rugs can and will be sold in Georgia and South Carolina by August 31 so that this innovative fundraiser can launch on a national level.

Thanks as always for your support, and for helping us reach this goal.

SOGA Documentary Event, December 14, Statewide

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Set your DVR’s and mark your calendars as Special Olympics Georgia’s documentary film, “The Love of the Games” airs beginning Saturday, December 14th  on a statewide network of Georgia’s leading television stations.

The 30-minute film offers compelling and inspirational insights to the benefits that Special Olympics Georgia has on athletes, their families, volunteers, and on society.

The documentary was directed and produced by Dan Johnson, a 24-time Emmy Award winning Atlanta filmmaker and will air on the following stations:

  • Atlanta            WAGA-TV Fox5                        December 14  5:30PM
  • Albany             WALB-TV News 10                  December 14  7:30PM
  • Augusta           WJBF-TV  News Channel 6   December 14  7:30PM
  • Columbus        WRBL-TV News 3                   December 14  6:30PM
  • Savannah         WTOC-TV 11                            December 14  7:30PM
  • Macon               WMAZ-TV 13                          December 28 12:30PM

Click here to read the full news release.