The 47th annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games took place from June 2-4 at Penn State University. The 2016 Summer Games might have been a rainy, but that did not wipe the smiles off of the athlete’s faces. Over the course of three days, athletes competed in sports such as aquatics, athletics, basketball, bowling, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, softball and tennis. With over 2,000 athletes, 800 coaches, and 2,500 volunteers this event was a success.
Competitions began Thursday with preliminary rounds. Later that night Opening Ceremonies kicked off the weekend. Players from the Penn State Football team pumped up the crowd to begin the ceremony and made sure every individual in the arena was on their feet having the time of their life. Even Sue Paterno joined in on the dancing! Opening Ceremonies featured speeches from the President and CEO of Special Olympics PA, Matthew Aaron, and Special Olympics PA Senior Vice President of Programming, Clare Walsh Miller, and a couple of athletes eager to share their enthusiasm for the upcoming competitions.
At the conclusion of Opening Ceremonies, the Flame of Hope was brought in by The Law Enforcement Torch Run which began at PNC Park in Pittsburg and traveled 150 miles over three days to end at the Opening Ceremonies in the Pegula Ice Arena. The torch was lead by ten motorcycles came in with their sirens and lights on, as the crowd roared. With help from law enforcement officials, athlete Kyle Zurns, lit the torch, and the games officially began!
After a spectacular Opening Ceremonies, competition kicked off Friday as early as 8 a.m. and athletes began to receive medals that they would remember for a lifetime. Athletes got to interact and socialize with Penn State athletes during their competition and were even awarded by these wonderful student athletes. Throughout the course of the games, Healthy Athlete programs were offered around the campus. In Pollock Commons fitness, eye, ear, dental, and dietary health screenings were provided free of charge for our athletes. In addition, at certain venues during competitions, staff offered information about healthy eating habits as well as healthy snack options to athletes and their families.
A fun filled weekend came to an end with closing ceremonies on Saturday with the presentation of the Sheetz Family Award of Excellence. James Fry from Columbia/Montour was the winner and raised his new gold trophy high to show everyone around. His smile was contagious and had everyone smiling with him as they left Penn State.
Our George Washington team left Philadelphia on Friday, May 27th. When they arrived at the hotel, they were surprised by a meet and greet with the Philadelphia Union! Later that evening, they joined the Unified team from Special Olympics Colorado for a baseball game at the Coors Field where the Colorado Rockies took on the San Francisco Giants. The home team came away with the win (5-2), would this be a sign for scores to come?
On Saturday morning, our team took a stroll through Denver, Colorado to take in their surroundings. They stopped by a park to partake in a pre-workout. Later on, our team once again joined the Unified Colorado Rapids Team to watch the Philadelphia Union play against the Colorado Rapids. After an intense game, the game ended in a tie. Then both Unified teams took the field. As a bonus for our Unified Philadelphia Union, after their game, the Philadelphia Union players quickly showered, put on their suits and took to the field again to cheer on our team! At the end of both twenty minute halves, our Unified Philadelphia Union team was victorious with a final score of 7-5.
After the match, both teams were presented their medals at the awards ceremony featuring head coach Jim Curtin to conclud the evening. Our athletes and partners left the filed with smiles from ear to ear. The memories they all made during this trip will remain in their hearts forever.
Our George Washington Unified Team arrives at the airport!
Coach Curtain poses with a partner
Our George Washington Unified Team poses with the Philadelphia Union First Team
Catching a Rockies game at the Coors Field
George Washington Unified team takes the streets of Denver, CO
A Unified athlete and partner walk hand in hand while exploring Denver, CO
Unified Philadelphia Union poses prior to their game
Group huddle before the Exchange Game against the Unified Colorado Rapids
The entire Union First Team participate in the Unified Game as Fans in the Stands…or shall we say, fans on the field!
Awards Ceremony after the Exchange Game
Coach Curtain awards the Unified Philadelphia Union with the gold medal!
The Union First Team lines up to give our athletes and partners high fives
The Union First Team lines up to give our athletes and partners high fives
The Union First Team lines up to give our athletes and partners high fives
Our George Washington athletes and partners show off their gold
A Unified athlete and partner show off their gold medals
ABOUT UNIFIED SPORTS:
Special Olympics Unified Sports® creates an opportunity for people without intellectual disabilities to join in the sports experience by playing on a team with athletes with intellectual disabilities. Not only do the players all have fun, but attitude change and transformation happens on the playing field and the experiences create lifelong friendships.
About MLS Works & Special Olympics:
In 2013, MLS and Special Olympics created a Unified Sports exchange program that is the cornerstone of the ongoing partnership between MLS and Special Olympics North America. Unique to this partnership is an exchange program for Special Olympics Unified Sports soccer teams, which are comprised of players with and without intellectual disabilities. Through the Unified Sports soccer exchange program, Unified soccer teams from MLS cities travel to other MLS markets to receive training from MLS players and coaches, as well as compete in exhibition matches with their Special Olympics counterparts in that MLS market. Unified matches are scheduled in conjunction with MLS club matches, providing MLS fans with an opportunity to witness first-hand, the talents and abilities of Special Olympics athletes and unified partners. The exchange program not only provides Special Olympics athletes with top-level training and competitive experiences, but also excellent life experiences that they might not otherwise otherwise engage in.
On Saturday, April 2nd 2016, The Hatboro YMCA and Special Olympics Pennsylvania Montgomery County hosted a gymnastics competition. Teams from Lebanon, Bethlehem and Area M joined Philadelphia and host program Montgomery to compete for the gold. Philadelphia had 5 athletes compete at this tournament who joined another 95 athletes in this day-long competition.
On the women’s side, we had Jasmin and Megan representing Philadelphia. Jasmin made Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia history by being our first rhythmic gymnastic competitor! At the tournament, Jasmin competed in Ball, Ribbon, Rope, and Hoop and after all four events – won her age group! Megan competed in Floor, Valut, Beam, and Uneven Bars. At this tournament, Megan debuted a new floor routine set to music from the Broadway play “Chicago” and took home the gold in her age group! Congratulations, ladies!
Our three male athletes, Luke, Shawn and Trevor competed in all six events that are available in men’s gymnastics – Parallel Bars (also known as P-Bars), High Bar, Rings, Floor, Vault, and the Pommel Horse. This was the first time both Shawn and Trevor competed in all six events! What made the day even better for both Shawn and Trevor, is they both won their age group! Luke showed growth in his performance and came in second in his age group. Congratulations to all of our male athletes!
Our gymnastic team’s next meet is on Sunday, April 24th in Allentown, PA. Best of luck to our athletes!
On Friday, March 18th, two Philadelphia High Schools woke up early to represent their schools in the IUS State Bocce Championship 2016 at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. A team from George Washington High School and High School of the Future boarded a bus around 5:00am at their respective schools to begin their journey to the IUS State Bocce Championships.
Once in Hershey, Pennsylvania, our two Philadelphia teams met up with eight fellow IUS Unified Bocce Teams from four counties: Baldwin High School (Allegheny County), Beaver Falls High School (Beaver County), Carlynton Junior-Senior High School (Allegheny County), Central Valley High School (Beaver County), Marple Newtown High School (Delaware County), and Upper Darby High School (Delaware County). The IUS Stat Bocce Championship started at 9:00am after Opening Ceremonies.
High School of the Future joined Baldwin High School, Central Valley High School, and Marple Newtown High School to form the Red Division while George Washington High School joined Beaver Falls High School, Carlynton High School, and Upper Darby High School to form the Black Division. High School of the Future’s first game was against Marple Newtown at 9:00am. George Washington High School’s first game was against Upper Darby High School at 9:45am.
All of the teams gave it their all to get the gold. With family and friends cheering them on from the sidelines and teammates cheering and guiding on the court, every school gave their best effort. Ultimately, George Washington High School came in fourth in the Black Division and High School of the Future came in third in the Red Division. Congratulations to all of the schools!
Special Olympics is a 2016 National Partner of Wawa and The Wawa Foundation! To celebrate this partnership, Wawa is holding a fundraiser for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Between Monday, January 4th and Sunday, February 28th, Wawa will be running their Wawa Coin & Scan Campaign across Pennsylvania.
Special Olympics Pennsylvania will be one of the beneficiaries of a Wawa Coin Canister Campaign – the first one of 2016 to be exact! In addition to the Wawa Coin and Scan Campaign, Wawa will doing an in-store promotion from Monday, January 25th to Sunday, February 21st. Support Special Olympics Pennsylvania at your next visit to Wawa by dropping your spare change in the collection jars or donating $1, $3 or $5 through the scan campaign upon checkout.
Not only can you grab a delicious Sizzlie and a made-to-order beverage in the morning, or a hoagie or something from their deli for lunch, and a snack for that afternoon pick me up AND support a great cause. It doesn’t get any better than delicious food and a chance to help thousands of athletes across Pennsylvania.
So please visit a Wawa frequently this winter and thank them for being a partner. Make sure you bring your change with you! support nearly 20,000 Special Olympics athletes across the state of Pennsylvania!
On Saturday, December 6th, Special Olympics Philadelphia held its 26th Annual Invitational Volleyball Tournament. We saw many athletes spike to the top. Nine teams made up of over 100 athletes from Philadelphia, Montgomery, Area M, and Lancaster Counties participated in what was a day filled with competition, fun and excitement for all. Athletes spike to the top as they competed for the gold, silver and bronze. The tournament was exciting and as the day went on the competition only grew more intense as each team score got closer to their opponents. Every athlete had their game face on and ready for a rematch. But as all good things it must come to an end and below you will find the team’s standings for the three levels of competition placement.
A tremendous thank you to Frankford High School for hosting the event, as well as the 20 coaches and the 125 volunteers and officials who came out to assist us make this possible. Thank you to everyone who attended and we can’t wait to see you in 2016!
Division 1
1st Place – Philly Warriors
2nd Place – Area M Spikers
3rd Place – Philly Cougars
Division 2
1st Place – Montco Red Hot Chili Peppers
2nd Place – Montco White Snakes
3rd Place – Lancaster Owls
Division 3
1st Place – Montco Hawks
2nd Place – Montco Moody Blues
3rd Place – Philly Angels
We’re Hiring! Manager of Interscholastic Unified Partnerships
Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia is Hiring!
Manager of Interscholastic Unified Partnerships
Programming Department – Philadelphia
Major Function:
This position is responsible for development and implementation of all SOPA, Philadelphia Interscholastic Unified Sports initiatives and partnerships through the use of sound management components, adhering to policies and procedures established by Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Inc. (SOPA), Special Olympics North America, and Special Olympics Inc. This individual provides oversight of all aspects of our partnership with the schools in Philadelphia and presents strategies for meeting organizational goals and demands. This role will critically lead and assess all segments of our Interscholastic Unified Sports (IUS) program; meeting all Project Unify grant requirements, encouraging and implementing youth leadership initiatives and unified sports. They will identify areas to improve, and sectors to be developed or changed for program growth in order to meet SOPA’s strategic plan and IUS objectives.
Responsibilities:
School District Partnership
The core work of this position is to create opportunities for students in the Philadelphia School District to participate in Special Olympics Unified sports activities to include sports participation (training and competition opportunities), youth leadership opportunities (i.e. Unified Youth Committees), and whole school engagement (i.e. R-Word Campaigns, etc.) in accordance with the Project Unify initiatives and grant.
This individual will explore ways to enhance existing sports curriculum to include a Unified Special Olympics component, as well as developing new programming opportunities both during and after school hours for a Special Olympics experience. These goals will be met by regular interaction with District personnel to design activities that will offer direct support to the District’s goals while meeting SOPA’s strategic plan objectives.
This individual will also work with School District personnel to prospect and identify new potential schools for future engagement based on each year’s growth goals and initiatives. This position will be responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships through all levels of the School District (Director of Health, Safety & Physical Education to teachers and other school staff and leadership) ensuring all needs are being met and IUS standards and grant requirements are also being implemented and met.
School District Activities
District partnership sports activities include but are not limited to; bocce, soccer, and athletics (track and field). In addition to expanding the sports experience for students, this position will identify other support and resource needs necessary to provide a positive outcome. Support will include; youth leadership, whole school engagement, competition opportunities, coordination of medical examination for “Participation Application” (medical) completion, meeting with parent groups, teachers, or other entities or groups to promote participation as appropriate, etc.
Unified Sports
Working with IUS leadership, SDP Liaisons, and others as appropriate, the manager of Interscholastic Partnership will ensure all needs for successful sports participation is maintained to include but not limited to; coaches education, ordering of needed sports equipment and supplies, school environment materials (i.e., r-word, SOGII, etc.). Key Unified Sports goals for this position include;
Supports the high quality implementation of Unified Sports through the Unified Sports models at the participating schools ensuring appropriate play levels are managed.
Provides coaches and students trainings and professional development to enhance the degree in which all parties understand the principles and rules of Unified Sports.
Coordinates season-long sports scrimmages/league-play days, trainings, and competitions that afford athletes and partners meaningful engagement and the opportunity to develop skill in a select sport to include opportunities to advance to higher levels of competition.
Youth Leadership & Activation
Supports all schools as they identify student leaders to serve as Special Olympics in-school ambassadors whether through previously established school clubs or newly created Special Olympics clubs.
Provides resources and training to school liaisons and directly to the student leaders for successful implementation of positive school climate initiatives.
Conduct annual Youth Summit encouraging and supporting the above initiatives.
Whole School & Community Engagement
Works closely with coaches, school liaisons, student leaders, community stakeholders to promote the vision of inclusion throughout the participating school.
Offers resources through staff support, interns, supplies, etc., to schools as the implement year long activities for whole school engagement.
Work to implement and support fundraising efforts within each high school focusing on, but not limited to, SOPA Philadelphia’s Polar Bear Plunge via the Cool Schools initiative.
Administrative
Responsible for the monthly collection and submission of programming data
Monitors budget and align spending with program goals
Support the vision of Interscholastic Unified Sports’ statewide growth goals
Actively and regularly visit school programs to support schools and assess the quality of the programs
Work with individual school personnel both at the administrative and teaching level to recruit and secure schools for active participation as well as appropriate students for participation in all activities
Young Athletes Program
Young Athletes™ is a unique sport and play program for children ages 2-7 with intellectual disabilities. The focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and physical growth. In alignment with the SOPA Philadelphia 3-year Business Plan, the Manager of Interscholastic Unified Partnerships will take a lead role in the development, growth and execution of this program in partnership with schools, local YMCAs and other groups.
Support the promotion of IUS through community awareness by working with the Director and other staff to develop media and community relations opportunities. This includes presentations, conducting promotions utilizing “r-word” and “Play Unified” campaigns, and working with selected individuals to develop additional promotional materials.
Program/Fund Raising Event Management
Support the Sports Director in the coordination of Special Olympics Pennsylvania, Philadelphia competitions as it relates to the School District’s participation.
Assist the Director and other individuals as appropriate for fundraising event management.
Communications
Identify communication opportunities to reach a wide audience to advance growth goals of; participation of athletes and volunteers, community involvement, and financial support.
Work with the Director to develop articles for appropriate and related periodicals, etc.
Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
Bachelor degree or equivalent in Sports Management, Physical Education, or related field.
Supervision experience and strategic plan development a strong positive.
Experience in working with or serving as a volunteer, and a background in Special Olympics helpful.
Fully able to drive and travel extensively, working some evenings and weekends.
Able to lift and carry 50lbs.
Relationships:
Reports to the SOPA, Philadelphia Director
Supervises all interns/co-ops as they relate to school partnership activities
School District of Philadelphia personnel
Maintains communications and support with staff and volunteers
Location:
SOPA, Philadelphia office – 2900 Southampton Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154
How to Apply:
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their resume and cover letter to:
Pictured above: Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia athletes Ian Capacio and Lisa Barbour (at left and right) stand with Taney Dragons Little League phenom Mo’ne Davis.
SOPA Philadelphia receives Robert P. Levy Award as part of the 2015 Wanamaker Awards Luncheon at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia on Friday, June 12th. The award is presented to an individual or organization that has done the most to “improve the quality of life in Philadelphia through sports.” This is the 20th year in which that the Robert P. Levy Community Service Award has been presented.
Our Philadelphia program was honored along with the Taney Dragons Little League team who captivated the city with the first female, Mo’ne Davis, to ever pitch a complete game shutout at the Little League World Series. The Taney Dragons were awarded the John Wanamaker Athletic Award and Don Richardson, Director of the Philadelphia Blackhawks Athletic Club, received the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Sports Volunteer of the Year Award.
Special Olympics Philadelphia joins many other sports organization who have won this award. Other organizations who have received this award in the past include Coaches vs. Cancer, SquashSmarts, Back on My Feet, PDR Swim Team, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Third-grade class acted as Fans in the Stands at our 2015 Unified Soccer Championship held for our Interscholastic Unified Sport (IUS) program within Philadelphia high schools. This is a post from Need in Deed’s Facebook page on June 12, 2015. They are posting about a third grade class from McCall School. We were thrilled they could join us for the day to celebrate inclusion on and off the soccer field.
Post:
Ms. Hantman’s 3rd graders from McCall School were passionate about celebrating the amazing skills on display at Northeast High School for the recent Special Olympics Pennsylvania – Philadelphia Soccer Tournament where Philadelphia students with intellectual disabilities competed for prizes. The Need in Deed 3rd graders are winding down their service learning project on Special Needs Populations. Among so many other things they want to do, they knew the local Special Olympics event needed a great cheering section. They wrote cheers, made banners and designed their own tee-shirts. Ms. Bottaro’s 5th graders even helped make pom poms out of used plastic bags as part of their efforts to reduce plastic bag waste! Finally the day arrived. We know it’s hard to imagine how great it was, so we took lots of pictures to help you celebrate with us.
Every year, Special Olympics Pennsylvania offers its friends the chance to watch the Philadelphia 76ers game at the Wells Fargo Center and help spread awareness about its organization at the same time enjoy discounted ticket prices (a portion of proceeds go to Special Olympics Pennsylvania), take in a thrilling game and do something positive for your community. During the 76ers Awareness Night, the 76ers invite Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes the chance to play ball on their court.
The Philadelphia Phlames and the Tri-County All Stars pose for a picture with WNBA star Elaina Delle Donne
The 3rd Annual Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) Night with the 76ers was a huge success. Nearly 500 athletes, coaches, supporters, volunteers and families came to the Wells Fargo Center for an evening of memorable experiences on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
In addition to watching the Sixers vs. Nets game, the event honored Philadelphia athlete Benjamin Liken with the “Hero Among Us Award,” offered an exhibition game between the Philadelphia Phlames (2014 Div. 4 National Games Champions) and the Tri-County All Stars (Team of athletes from Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), and held a post game meet and greet/autograph session with WNBA star Elaina Delle Donne and current Sixers Point Guard Isaiah Canaan.
Exhibition game between the Philadelphia Phlames (2014 Div. 4 National Games Champions) and the Tri-County All Stars (Team of athletes from Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties)
Special Olympics Pennsylvania athletes also had the opportunity to shoot lay ups, free throws and three pointers on the Wells Fargo Center hardwood court for 45-minutes postgame. The evening raised money for the movement via a 50-50 raffle that was held at every Sixers home game, plus $3 per ticket sold (using a special promo code) coming back to the organization.
Special Olympics is a 2016 National Partner of 
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