Connection: Knight for Kids

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Knight for Kids: March 20th
After the Cops & Rodders Car Show, stay for a fantastic evening to continue helping to support Special Olympics GA!  Admission is $50 per person, but includes dinner and one chance to win the door prize of a 2010 Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe!  The last ticket in the barrel at the end of the night wins the amazing Harley!  Don’t miss out on the most entertaining night of the year as the competition gets interesting as the night goes on!  For more information please click here.

Connection: Cops & Rodders

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Cops & Rodders Car & Motorcycle Show & Driver Safety Fair:  March 20th
Come out and see all makes and models of cars, motorcycles and trucks, including retired and active emergency vehicles. Cost is $20 per vehicle to enter the car show, but spectators are free to attend!  Also this year, there will be a driver safety fair. It’s a great place for teen drivers (or drivers of any age) to learn important safe driving techniques and meet the professionals. For more information, please click here.

Connection: Volunteer of the Month

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March Volunteer of the Month: Carl Huff

For the 2010 Indoor Winter Games, SOGA was looking for someone to fill in the role of Volunteer Coordinator for Basketball Team Play. This is one of our largest venues and calls for long hours each day. It’s an important role because the he is responsible for making sure that volunteers are in place and trained, which is a requirement for the venue to run successfully. Volunteer Carl Huff rose to the challenge.

It is not an ideal first SOGA volunteer experience since the job requires a lot of responsibility but it is also difficult to find individuals who are reliable for the job. Carl quickly learned what he could about the venue and his role and came to all of the planning meetings. Throughout the weekend, Carl was at the venue early and quickly took charge of the entire venue. Staff members and several volunteers noted how wonderful he was in the role. He took the time to talk to each volunteer and made sure that each one of them felt like they were contributing in a vital role at the venue, rotating fans in the stands volunteers so they too had a chance to work a field position.
 
Thank you Carl for your dedication to SOGA and the State Indoor Winter Games. Congratulations on being the March Volunteer of the Month.

Connection: sponsor spotlight

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This month, SOGA would like to take the opportunity to recognize one of its most long standing partners, SUPERVALU. Supporting SOGA as far back as 1988, SUPERVALU is not only a leader in the grocery retailing industry; they are leaders in the community.

A tradition of fresh thinking – that’s how SUPERVALU approaches an ever-changing market. SUPERVALU’s 135 years of food logistics innovation, coupled with their established retail expertise, gives them a unique blend of capabilities and a highly complementary business model that’s unlocking new opportunities.

Through innovation and focus, SUPERVALU has grown into a retail network of more than 2,500 stores. They also serve more than 5,000 retail end points via their supply chain and support services. Since 1870, the enduring mission of their approximately 200,000 employees has been to serve their customers better than anyone else could serve them.

SUPERVALU’s approach and accomplishments have earned considerable recognition within and beyond the industry. Among these are: Fortune 500 Company, Fortune Most Admired Company, Forbes Platinum 400 Company, Among Minnesota’s top public companies, Dividends paid to shareholders for more than 60 years.

For the 10th consecutive year, SUPERVALU will sponsor the Gymnastics venue at the 2010 Summer Games. As such, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the SUPERVALU team for their continued support.  We could not dream up a better advocate for the organization and the athletes we serve. We feel privileged to have your support. Thank you SUPERVALU!

Gwinnett H.S. students start R-word campaign today

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Today, Mill Creek High School students in Gwinnett County collected pledges from 130 students to not use the R-word “retarded.” Until Friday, students in the Best Buddies club, a club that focuses on the interaction between regular education students and students with special needs, will continue to collect pledges and signing a huge banner to show support during lunchtime and before school.

By Wednesday afternoon, so many students signed the banner that six more feet of paper needed to be added to accommodate signatures.

Best Buddies members want their classmates to be informed about the impact that their peers with disabilities have had on them, said teacher Jennifer Rolfes. So, they encourage their classmates to remove slang words from their vocabularies that may hurt someone else.

Thank you Best Buddies at Mill Creek High School. Keep up the good work!

      

If your school is working on the R-word campaign and have an interesting story to share, please e-mail Wendy.Bigham@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

R-Word Day 3/3/10

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Spread the Word to End the Word!

Spread the Word to End the Word is a campaign created by youth, in an ongoing effort with Special Olympics and Best Buddies International, to engage schools, organizations and communities by raising the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encouraging everyone to stop using the R-word.

On March 3, 2010, youth are leading the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word by encouraging people to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.

The day will be devoted to educating and raising awareness of the positive impact individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have in our communities and why the use of the R-word is hurtful, even in casual conversation.

Contact your Regional Manager for more information on starting an R-Word Campaign at your school.

Strike the R-Word, Sept. 29

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Strike the R-word with us on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Bowlmor Atlanta. Have fun bowling in this annual fundraiser while you help raise awareness of how the R-word hurts people with intellectual disabilities as well as their families and friends. Registration for the event is $50 and that includes food, goody bags, free shoe rental, bowling and an awesome silent auction.

Click here to register for Strike the R-word

 

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2015 State Fall Games and Horse Show, October 9-11, Gainesville, GA

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Come join us for the 2015 State Fall Games and Horse Show being held in Gainesville, GA October 9-11. Come visit our nearly 2,000 athletes competing in:  : Bocce, Cycling, Golf, Golf Skills, Softball, Softball Skills, Dressage, Horsemanship/Equitation, Showmanship, Unified Drill Team, and Western Riding.  Please visit:   https://specialolympicsga.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/2015FallGames/tabid/673733/Default.aspx  and show your support for the State Fall Games and Horse Show.

2016 State Indoor Winter Games Revised Schedule for Jan. 23/24

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Due to the predicted incoming inclement weather that is scheduled to hit the metro Atlanta area on Friday afternoon, evening and night, there have been some changes and adjustments to the schedule of this weekend’s Special Olympics Georgia 2016 State Indoor Winter Games in Cobb County.

New State Indoor Winter Games Schedule – Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 23/24
Saturday –
Artistic Gymnastics – Cobb Gymnastics Center – 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Bowling – Brunswick Zone Austell – Check-in: 8:30 am. – Competition – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Bowling – Marietta AMF Lanes – Check-in: 8:30 am. – Competition – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Basketball Individual Skills – Fair Oaks Recreation Center – 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Powerlifting – Marriott – 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Traditional Team Basketball – Lawrence Street Recreation Center – 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Unified Team Basketball – Smyrna Community Center
Roller Skating – Sparkles Smyrna – Check-in: 7:00 am. – Competition – 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Traditional Team Basketball – Salvation Army – 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
3-on-3 Basketball – Windy Hill Athletic Club – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Basketball Team Skills – Ward Recreation Center – 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Sunday –
Traditional Team Basketball – Ward Recreation Center – 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Floor Hockey – Fair Oaks Recreation Center – 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Traditional Team Basketball – Smyrna Community Center – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Traditional Team Basketball – Lawrence Street Recreation Center – TBD

  • Friday’s scheduled Opening Ceremony at McEachern High School has been cancelled.
  • Saturday’s Olympic Town, originally scheduled to be at Marietta Middle School, has been cancelled.
  • Saturday’s Healthy Athletes program, originally scheduled to be at Marietta Middle School, has been cancelled.

We will have more details on this weekend’s State Indoor Winter Games as they become available.

St. Peter Chanel 5K Run/Walk – Nov. 21 – Roswell

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The 2nd-annual St. Peter Chanel 5K Run/Walk is set for the Saturday before Thanksgiving – November 21. Join us at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell to raise money for Special Olympics Georgia. The 3.1-mile course features flat roads and a scenic, rolling trail. Registration includes a long-sleeved tech shirt and a post-race party. Visit https://5k.supportourprojects.com for more details.