Upcoming events
Brio’s at Bocce: Brio Tuscan Grill is hosting a Bocce Tournament on Sunday May 2 between 1-5, sponsored by La Societa Italiana. Enjoy bocce in Brio’s lovely garden setting overlooking the lake, hor d’oeuvers and wine, for adults over 21. Costs $20 to play. E-mail Jennifer.Daniell@SpecialOlympicsGA.org
Slamfest 2010: Three-on-three basketball tournament at Discover Mills June 5 and 6 with proceeds going to SOGA. Volunteers and players needed. For more information go to http://www.slamfest2010.com/ or to volunteer email: slamfest2010@yahoo.com Multiple divisions including third grade up through seniors with sliding cost.
Three-Day Spring Ride: The 21st Annual Spring 3-Day Bike Ride begins in Virginia Highlands on May 21. The 300-mile ride tours West Georgia from urban Atlanta through rural West Georgia and ending in Virginia Highlands on the 23rd.
Ride through Calloway Gardens, the rolling hills from Pine Mountain, and Silver Comet Trail. But you can join the ride at any point! Just be sure to ask friends and families to sponsor you. You only pay for your personal expenses. You’ll enjoy the ride and raise money for Special Olympics Georgia.
For more information, contact Jeff at schneiderjeffrey@yahoo.com or Charles at cepotts@mindspring.
BRAG: Sign up for the 2010 Bicycle Ride Across Georgia. The ride will take place in middle Georgia June 5-12. A loop ride beginning and ending in Fayetteville with overnight stops in Griffin, Thomaston, Columbus LaGrange and Newnan. Visit www.brag.org for more information.
SOGA COMMUNITY YARD SALE: Join us for our yard sale April 23 and 24 at the Decatur Recreation Center. We’ll have tons of items including couches, chairs, entertainment centers, TVs, movies, books, clothes, toys, strollers, children’s furniture, decorative items and so much more!
The yard sale will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days at the center, located at 231 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030
*We are also looking for donations of items for the yard sale. Schedule a pickup or you can drop items off at the SOGA office. For more information on the yard sale, contact Leslie Anderson at 770-414-9390 ext. 120 or at leslie.anderson@specialolympicsga.org.
Cuffed for a Cause: Join officers across the state as they are CUFFED FOR A CAUSE on Saturday, April 10th! Officers will bed handcuffed to a moving treadmill for eight hours or until their fundraising goal is met, whichever one comes first! Be sure to stop by and support them by making a donation. Click here to see the closest location to you.
Let’s go see some Braves games: Purchase your $6 Gwinnett Braves game ticket for July 11 or your $12 or $6 ticket for the Atlanta Braves game on May 20. If sell 150 Gwinnett tickets, the athletes will be in an athlete parade and 200 tickets for the athletes to participate in the Atlanta game. Let’s help get our athletes on the field. E-mail Wendy.Bigham@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.
June Volunteer of the Month: Tori Allen
by SOGAVictoria (Tori) Allen volunteered for the first time at 2010 State Indoor Winter Games. When she came on board, she stepped into a role with huge responsibility. She was a part of the Winter Games games management team and headed up the role of souvenir sales coordinator. This meant that she was in charge of the souvenir sales for the entire weekend including making sure the merchandise arrived, tables were set up at correct venues, volunteers were in place and sales went accordingly all weekend long. It was a challenging role, but Tori handled the pressure well and everything ran smoothly.
When the role of aquatics volunteer coordinator suddenly became available for the 2010 Summer Games, the staff knew Tori would be excellent in the position. Aquatics is one of our largest venues at Summer Games and runs the entire weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At Games, Tori took on her role and remained level headed when things got a little too hectic or volunteers became short towards the end of the day. Tori helped to make the venue run smoothly and successfully.
Because of her dedication to SOGA and all of her efforts this year, Tori is our volunteer of the month.
Plan a day of watching The TOUR Championship
by SOGAJust pick a day or more from Wednesday, Sept. 22 to Sunday, Sept. 26 and watch of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for $60 Wednesday per day at East Lake Golf Club. For every ticket purchased, $30 is donated to Special Olympics Georgia. But you must enter the code TCSGSH. But remember to enter the code: TCSGSH.
THE TOUR comes after 33 weeks and three playoff events. When you purchase online, you save 10 percent!
Contact Georgia Milton-Sheats at Georgia.Milton-Sheats@SpecialOlympicsGA.org or visit http://www.theplayofffinale.com/ and enter the promotional code TCSGSH.
Spotlight on BRAG
by SOGAWe would like to recognize a fellow non-profit organization— Bicycle Ride Across Georgia Inc., or BRAG. It is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing affordable, family-oriented, quality bicycle tours in and across Georgia, with an emphasis on bicycling safety, education, and, most of all, fun.
Click here to read more about BRAG on our Sponsor Spotlight page.
BRAG and its riders have been valued supporters of Special Olympics Georgia for several years. Not only does BRAG donate a portion of the registration fees paid by its participants to Special Olympics Georgia, they also raise money for individual athletes so that they too can participate in the ride free of charge.
BRAG is an annual odyssey giving participants an opportunity to discover the beauty of Georgia by bicycle. It is not a race; it is a family-oriented tour. It is recreational, social, and, in many ways, educational. While it is a strenuous journey, all types of people with all levels of cycling experience—college students, first graders, judges, soldiers, teachers, and grandparents—have completed BRAG. It’s like a fun summer camp for the whole family.
Check out our NEW Resource Library
by SOGAWe’ve added a Resource Library to our site to put any information you may need at your fingertips! Here, you can find a complete Agency Resource Guide, Volunteer Paperwork, everything you need to run a successful program, and much more. Check it out HERE.
GEICO Raises over $45,000 for Area 7 Special Olympics
by SOGALocal Macon area runners covered nearly 2,300 miles last month in the 27th Annual GEICO Road Race to benefit Special Olympics Area 7 Mid Georgia. Together, the 585 runners – including 157 associates from GEICO – raised over $45,000.
The funding to Area 7 , Special Olympics helps over 710 Special Olympics athletes in the Middle Georgia area participate in track and field, basketball, bowling, golf and sailing competitions every year.
The check was formally presented on April 27th. by Gary Musolf and other representatives from GEICO, to the Area7-Special Olympics Management Team. Those present included Jesse Griggers- Treasurer, Nalini Isaac- Chair, Walter Dean-Sports Competition, Ann Kearbey -Volunteers, Becky Pruitt-Media, Liz Ferguson-Fundraising Timmy Pruitt-Athlete & Matt Walters- Competition. Danny Knight the SOGA State Regional manager thanked GEICO for their generous support and everyone celebrated with cake and punch.
Coordinators, Volunteers, Athletes and Coaches/Volunteers from Bibb, Jones, and Putnam Counties attended the presentation, to show their appreciation of the ongoing support from GEICO. We had a FULL house!
These GEICO staff were in the Award Presentation and in the photo Left to Right.
Gary Musolf, Assistant Vice President
John Stack, Underwriting Analyst
Keely Porter, Claims Supervisor
Randy Thompson, Regional Claims Director
Area 7 Summer Games a huge success!
by SOGAOn Thursday April 15, Area 7 games took place at Mt. de Sales Academy’s Cavalier Field in Macon. Over 300 Special Olympics Georgia Athletes from 9 different agencies in Area 7 showed up for the event. Lots of various events were offered such as 5oM Run/Walk, 100M Run/Walk, Shot Put, Softball Throw, and Standing/Running Long Jump. A great time was had by all in attendance. A special thanks to members of the Area 7 Management Team and the official event sponsor, GEICO- Area 7 Games were a huge success due to your generous support and efforts.
Athletes receive their awards at the games.
Athletes who participated in the games pictured with the GEICO Gecko
Don’t miss the yard sale this weekend!
by SOGASOGA is having a HUGE yard sale Friday and Saturday, so stop by Chestnut Drive Church, 3545 Chestnut Dr., Doraville, GA 30340. We will sell gently used items, including dining room tables and chairs, couches, TVs, cabinets, dressers, clothes, DVDs, household accessories, lamps, grills, books, and much more. All proceeds raised will go to the athletes of SOGA, so come out and shop while helping our athletes at the same time.
The yard sale is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days.
For info, call 678-637-2459 or Click Here
SOGA Athlete Receives “Peach of an Athlete” Award
by SOGAOn March 30, 2010 SOGA Athlete Evan Morriss was awarded the 2010 Boy Scouts Peach of an Athlete Award. Congratulations Evan!
How you can help
by SOGARECYLE YOUR OLD CELL PHONES! The cell phone recycling program is an easy way to support the athletes. All you have to do is collect old cell phones. How easy is that?!
When you’re ready to send in your old phones, simply contact Emily Young at 770-414-9390 x119 or by email at Emily.Young@SpecialOlympicsGa.org. We provide free shipping via FedEx or arrange a pick-up if that’s most convenient. We’ll even send you a box and official flyers to get started today!
Make $$ Searching the Web Yahoo has teamed up with GoodSearch to donate a penny to SOGA every time you search the web. This is totally free, as the money comes from advertisers. Make GoodSearch your home page by going to “tools” in your browser and then clicking on “internet options.” Type www.goodsearch.com in the space for home page. The first time you visit the site, type “Special Olympics Georgia” in the box for “Who do you goodsearch for?”
Recycle Your Cartridges: SOGA is recycling inkjet and laser printer cartridges and fax toner cartridges to raise funds and help our environment. For more information on how to donate your cartridges, contact Jennifer at (770) 414-9390 x110 or Jennifer.Daniell@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.
Upcoming Events: April Connection
by SOGAUpcoming events
Brio’s at Bocce: Brio Tuscan Grill is hosting a Bocce Tournament on Sunday May 2 between 1-5, sponsored by La Societa Italiana. Enjoy bocce in Brio’s lovely garden setting overlooking the lake, hor d’oeuvers and wine, for adults over 21. Costs $20 to play. E-mail Jennifer.Daniell@SpecialOlympicsGA.org
Slamfest 2010: Three-on-three basketball tournament at Discover Mills June 5 and 6 with proceeds going to SOGA. Volunteers and players needed. For more information go to http://www.slamfest2010.com/ or to volunteer email: slamfest2010@yahoo.com Multiple divisions including third grade up through seniors with sliding cost.
Three-Day Spring Ride: The 21st Annual Spring 3-Day Bike Ride begins in Virginia Highlands on May 21. The 300-mile ride tours West Georgia from urban Atlanta through rural West Georgia and ending in Virginia Highlands on the 23rd.
Ride through Calloway Gardens, the rolling hills from Pine Mountain, and Silver Comet Trail. But you can join the ride at any point! Just be sure to ask friends and families to sponsor you. You only pay for your personal expenses. You’ll enjoy the ride and raise money for Special Olympics Georgia.
For more information, contact Jeff at schneiderjeffrey@yahoo.com or Charles at cepotts@mindspring.
BRAG: Sign up for the 2010 Bicycle Ride Across Georgia. The ride will take place in middle Georgia June 5-12. A loop ride beginning and ending in Fayetteville with overnight stops in Griffin, Thomaston, Columbus LaGrange and Newnan. Visit www.brag.org for more information.
SOGA COMMUNITY YARD SALE: Join us for our yard sale April 23 and 24 at the Decatur Recreation Center. We’ll have tons of items including couches, chairs, entertainment centers, TVs, movies, books, clothes, toys, strollers, children’s furniture, decorative items and so much more!
The yard sale will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days at the center, located at 231 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030
*We are also looking for donations of items for the yard sale. Schedule a pickup or you can drop items off at the SOGA office. For more information on the yard sale, contact Leslie Anderson at 770-414-9390 ext. 120 or at leslie.anderson@specialolympicsga.org.
Cuffed for a Cause: Join officers across the state as they are CUFFED FOR A CAUSE on Saturday, April 10th! Officers will bed handcuffed to a moving treadmill for eight hours or until their fundraising goal is met, whichever one comes first! Be sure to stop by and support them by making a donation. Click here to see the closest location to you.
Let’s go see some Braves games: Purchase your $6 Gwinnett Braves game ticket for July 11 or your $12 or $6 ticket for the Atlanta Braves game on May 20. If sell 150 Gwinnett tickets, the athletes will be in an athlete parade and 200 tickets for the athletes to participate in the Atlanta game. Let’s help get our athletes on the field. E-mail Wendy.Bigham@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.