May’s Athlete of the Month: Kwame Owusu

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Athlete of the MonthKawame Owusu is a 20 year old senior at Stephenson High School, full of Jaguar pride. Not only does he like to show off his Jaguar spirit, but he exudes his love, passion and enthusiasm for Special Olympics Georgia . When you meet Kwame, his smile is contagious and his sweet, caring personality radiates.

Throughout the years of being a Special Olympics Georgia athlete, Kwame’s collection of medals and ribbons are beginning to mount up. At Sate Games, he competes in basketball team skills and modified volleyball each year. On a local level, he has competed in a broad span of sports that includes volleyball, basketball, bowling, bocce, tennis and athletics. Kwame epitomizes the true spirit of a Special Olympian with his encouraging attitude, kind-heartedness, positive sportsmanship and willingness to assist others. He has an extraordinary way of sharing and spreading this to his coaches, teachers and teammates. We congratulate Kwame on being May’s Athlete of the Month!

Special Olympics Georgia hosts annual Over the Edge Event at Overlook III Building

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ATLANTA, April 21, 2016 – Overlook III — 76 participants will rappel from the 22 story building known as Overlook III in Vinings on May 7 in support of Special Olympics Georgia and over 27,110 athletes. The event is expected to raise over $100,000 for the organization in order to support the year-round training and competition of its incredible Special Olympics Georgia athletes.

Participants raised a minimum of $1,000 for the opportunity to go Over the Edge of Overlook III, located at 2859 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339. Participating in an event that takes them out of their comfort zone and ultimately changes their lives forever, participants like Brian from Q100 the Bert Show and many more show the world their courage and their support of what Special Olympics athletes experience every day.

The event will go from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with vendors and Q100 Radio’s Adam Bomb as the live on site DJ so come out and show your support for the brave individuals reaching new heights for a great cause.

Over the Edge is proudly presented by Cox Automotive.

Over the Edge is proudly sponsored by the Goddard Investment Group, LLC as the Building Sponsor.

The event is also proudly sponsored by US Poultry, Good 2 Grow and Modern Provisions as the Edger Sponsors.

Over the Edge is additionally sponsored by Jabian Consulting as the Toss Your Boss Sponsor and by DressUp, Hometown Foundation and QuikTrip as the Event Sponsors.

For more information or to make a donation visit: oteatlanta2016.com or contact Kristin Hill: kristin.hill@specialolympicsga.org.

Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA)
SOGA provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Georgia invests in people with intellectual disabilities helping them to develop athletic skills, while also promoting the abilities of the athletes off the field. When the athletes succeed, attitudes change, communities develop, health and self esteem are built, and the eyes of the world are focused on all that is good and hopeful and positive. Athletes gain skills for employment, learn independent living skills, form relationships and help others understand their extraordinary capabilities despite health issues they experience daily.

For more information, visit http://www.specialolympicsga.org/.

The Punchline Comedy Club – March 31

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Come out for a night of laughs on March 31 hosted by Punchline Comedy Club at Landmark Diner-Buckhead. All ticket sale proceeds from the March 31 show  will be donated to SOGA. The show’s headliner is Mark Viera.

Mark has been seen on: NBC’s Emmy Award winning show “30 ROCK”, Byron Allen’s “Comics Unleashed”, Comedy Central’s Gabriel Iglesias Presents: “Stand Up Revolution” and Russell Simmons Presents: “Live At The El Rey”, BET’s “Comic View” and AXS TV’s “Gotham Comedy Live”.

Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance at www.punchline.com or 404-252-LAFF(5233) or at the door. Landmark Diner
is located at 3652 Roswell Road, 30305.

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Donate old or damaged cell phones and empty printer cartridges to help raise money for SOGA.

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Donate old or damaged cell phones,

and empty printer cartridges & toners
 to help raise money for
Special Olympics Georgia athletes!!

Click Here to learn more!

 

End the R-Word Campaign

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Help SOGA Spread the Word to End the Word! Click the link below to get more information on how to assist in the R-Word Campaign and how you can help end the word in your community!

http://www.r-word.org/

Share your story with Special Olympics:

http://www.specialolympics.org/03-31-09_Spread_the_Word.aspx

Give a Gift. Change a Life. Make Your Year-End Donation Today

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2013_year-end_running_boy_edited-1All of us at Special Olympics Georgia are thankful for caring friends like you who support our efforts and help transform the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  As we celebrate the holiday season, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Special Olympics Georgia. You can even honor a loved one by making the gift in the person’s name.

And as an added bonus, through December 31, our partner Finish Line will match your tax-deductible donation, dollar for dollar, up to a campaign total of $200,000. This “Ignite the Change” Matching Fund will double the impact of every dollar you give. This means Special Olympics Georgia will be able to do more for our athletes … reach farther to engage new athletes … and show the world more than ever what people with intellectual disabilities can accomplish.

Please don’t wait, make your matching holiday and year-end gift today.

Former Atlanta Falcon Buddy Curry to serve as Grand Marshal for Special Olympics Georgia 2016 State Indoor Winter Games

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BuddyCurry50

Buddy Curry

ATLANTA – November 4, 2015 – Special Olympics Georgia confirmed on Wednesday that former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Buddy Curry will serve as the Grand Marshal for the upcoming 2016 State Indoor Winter Games. The Games will take place January 22-24 in the Marietta/Cobb County area.

“We are extremely honored to have someone like Buddy Curry serve as the Grand Marshal for these State Indoor Winter Games,” said Special Olympics Georgia Communications and Marketing Manager Lee Wright. “As a boy growing up, I have great memories of when Buddy played for the Falcons. Since then, he’s been a pillar in the Atlanta area with his involvement in youth sports and football development.

“I know he’s excited about this great opportunity, and our organization is excited that he will be a part of our Winter Games. Our sincere thanks to Brenda Johnston and the Atlanta Falcons Alumni Department for helping make this happen.”

A native of Greenville, N.C., Curry was an All-ACC linebacker under head coach Dick Crum at North Carolina from 1975-1979. While at North Carolina, he was teammate of future NFL Hall of Fame outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Selected by the Falcons and head coach Leeman Bennett in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft, Curry immediately became one of the cornerstones to the Falcons’ “Gritz Blitz” defense. In his rookie season, he was selected NFC All-Pro and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, helping the Falcons win the NFC West Division with a 12-4 record. Curry was also an NFC All-Pro in 1982. His playing career spanned eight seasons with the Falcons, with the last season coming in 1987.

Since his playing days concluded, Curry founded the non-profit corporation Kids & Pros, a character-based youth sports organization that engages retired NFL Players in their communities to teach football fundamental skills & character lessons to youth ages 7–13. Under his leadership, Kids & Pros has become one of the fastest-growing interactive community programs in the country, using an approach that emphasizes football fundamental, position specific training, and character development.

In addition, Curry also serves as a Master Trainer for USA Football, the Official Youth Football Development Partner of the National Football League. He and his wife, Dawn, live in Buford and have four children – Justin, Jessel, David and Gabby. Jessel originally signed with Auburn as a linebacker, but transferred and finished his collegiate career at Delaware. David is a freshman linebacker this season at Georgia Tech.

About Special Olympics Georgia SOGA provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 26,702 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendships with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community. For more information, visit www.specialolympicsga.org.

2015 State Horse Show

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Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day – September 26

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On September 26, we hope that our Special Olympics family around the world will celebrate the legacy of an amazing woman. Launched six years ago to commemorate the life and spirit of the founder of the Special Olympics movement, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is a celebration of one person’s achievements and inspiration, but also the values she represents to this day – compassion, tolerance, love and a passion for social justice and equality. Eunice Kennedy Shriver dedicated her life to fighting for people with intellectual disabilities, helping to open people’s minds to their gifts and potential. She believed that one person could make a difference and change the world, and her life demonstrated the truth of that belief.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day will consist of individual events held at the local, state, national, regional and global levels – events that demonstrate and exemplify the value and spirit of inclusion both on and off the playing field. Special Olympics Georgia will be recognizing and celebrating Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day at our Strike the R-word bowling event on September 29.

To be a part of this inclusion movement, sign up at http://www.specialolympics.org/LetsChangeTheGame, and follow it on social media using #LetsChangeTheGame.

New Monthly Donors Earn Our Athletes An Extra $50!

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Great news!  Until October 31, a generous supporter will give an additional $50 to Special Olympics when you make your first monthly gift as a Sustaining Partner.

As a Sustaining Partner, your monthly gift of any amount you choose will help ensure we’re always able to provide training and competition opportunities to our athletes year-round.  Sustaining Partners provide the dependable monthly support we need to fund things like athlete training, uniforms, transportation, meals, medals and so much more.  Your steady support gives our athletes a chance to show the world what they can do.  As they train, they gain confidence and skills to succeed both on and off the playing fields.  Again and again we see it transform the way the athletes see themselves as someone who can, not someone who cannot.

lease help us reach and train more aspiring athletes and ensure that none of our athletes ever have to sit on the sidelines at an event – become a Sustaining Partner now and Special Olympics will receive an additional $50, up to $25,000.  Please don’t delay – this opportunity to multiply your impact is only available until October 31.  Thank you again for all that you do to help improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities!