Special Olympics North America
Coach of the Year: Laurie Chmielewski
Laurie Chmielewski was sitting at Special Olympics Florida's annual awards banquet on July 18, there to cheer on two awards recipients associated with her home program of Special Olympics Orange County.
Suddenly, her world was turned upside down: the emcee began announcing an award that was not on the program.
Each year, Special Olympics Florida honors those individuals and organizations whose exemplary support, efforts and embodiment of the spirit of Special Olympics, make a significant impact on our program and the lives of the athletes we serve.
We are proud to recognize this year's recipients, including Hall of Fame inductees Trisha Torre (pictured right) and Art Bjork, who were honored during Special Olympics Florida's annual Awards Ceremony on July 18, 2009 in Orlando.
Chief Deputy Dave Sklarek of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office has accepted the appointment as Special Olympics Florida's State Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Director. Chief Deputy Dave Sklarek joined the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 1984 after serving in the United States Marine Corps.
Dave has a strong background in Special Olympics and LETR involvement: he worked with us extensively for several years when the State Summer Games were held in Osceola County.
During those Games, Dave oversaw the efforts of the Sheriff's office and the Kissimmee Police Department, who served as the operations team for the Games: their expertise, hard work (and sweat) ensured that the behind-the-scenes support services ran smoothly year after year.
Certainly, Chief Deputy Sklarek could not have accepted this position without the support of Sheriff Bob Hansell. The Sheriff also has a long history of involvement with Special Olympics Florida and for the last two years, has served as the Honorary Chair of the Final Leg.
We hope you will join us in welcoming Chief Deputy Sklarek and thanking Sheriff Hansell for his support.
Sounds like a summer camp! And this summer our Orange County and Miami-Dade County programs hosted their annual Special Olympics Summer Camps.
In June of 1963, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Founder of Special Olympics, invited 35 boys and girls with intellectual disabilities to "Camp Shriver," a day camp at her home in Rockville, MD, to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.
Camp Shriver became an annual event, growing beyond Mrs. Shriver's backyard and between 1963 and 1968 more than 300 camps similar to Camp Shriver were started throughout the United States. These camps lead to the very first Special Olympics Games in Chicago in 1968.
July 20 not only marked the forty-first anniversary of the first Special Olympics Games, held at Chicago's Soldier Field in 1968, but also the 88th birthday of one of the most extraordinary women in the world: Special Olympics Founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
In honor and celebration of Mrs. Shriver's work, a new tribute site was unveiled this month: www.eunicekennedyshriver.org.
The site, entitled "Eunice Kennedy Shriver: One Woman's Vision" looks at the worldwide impact of her work, shares her story, includes letters from some of the world's biggest luminaries, and gives you the opportunity to post your very own tribute to Mrs. Shriver!
Use Your Coke Rewards to Help
Special Olympics
Be a fan of generosity and use your Coke Rewards points to benefit Special Olympics now through September 30.
Through My Coke Rewards, you have the opportunity to donate reward points to Special Olympics which will result in a donation from Coca-Cola up to $25,000!
Parenting Special Needs Magazine featuring Special Olympics! Check out the July edition of Parenting Special Needs Magazine on-line, which will feature Special Olympics, including images from our State Summer Games! The magazine is free on-line and is published by Chantai and Tom Snellgrove, proud parents of an Indian River County athlete!
Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series: the 2009-2010 Series kicks of this week, July 30 - August 2, in St. Augustine, followed promptly by another tournament in Sebastian, August 6-9 and then Port Canaveral, September 25-27. Proceeds from each tournament will benefit Special Olympics Florida! For rules, info, locations, registration and everything else you need to know, visit the Xtreme Kingfish Tournament Series website.
Clermont Senior Golf League Annual Charity Golf Scramble: August 21, Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club, Clermont. Help raise funds to cover the expenses associated with the Special Olympics Florida State Golf Championship being held September 11-12. When you sign on as a sponsor/player, you will be assisting the 180 athletes from around the state who will compete. You play so they can play! Get more info and register now.
State Golf Championship: September 11-12, Sanctuary Ridge Golf Club, Clermont. 180 Special Olympics athletes of all ages will compete for two days in two main types of events: individual skills and traditional play. Individual skills is a lead-up event for those athletes not yet ready for 9 or 18-hole play. Volunteers needed!
SportsAbility: October 2-3, 10AM - 3PM daily, Ocala. This two day event, developed through a partnership between Florida Disabled Outdoors Association (FDOA), Ocala Recreation & Parks and Marion County Parks & Recreation, will enable all individuals with disabilities the opportunity to experience a variety of recreation and leisure activities. The experts and adaptive equipment will be provided to allow most individuals the chance to participate in an activity previously thought to be inaccessible. Friday events will be held at the ED Croskey Center, Hampton Aquatic Center and MLK Recreation Complex located at 1510 NW 4th Street, Ocala. Saturday's events will be held at Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Area located at 13275 SE 115th Avenue, Ocklawaha. Special Olympics Marion County's Art Bjork will be running a bocce demonstration. Visit www.fdoa.org for more info.
Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic: October 5, Heathrow Golf and Country Club, Heathrow (near Orlando). Hit the links for the 13th annual Special Olympics Florida Golf Classic, benefiting SOFL. Individual entries and corporate sponsorships available. Get more info and register now!
State Fall Classic: October 30-31, Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex and venues in Kissimmee and Orlando. 1,220 athletes competing in powerlifting, bowling, gymnastics, roller skating and softball. Volunteers are needed and volunteer registration is now open!
Island Hop - A Special Olympics Florida Evening of Island Adventure (new fund raising event!): Saturday, November 14 at 6:00 p.m., Gaylord Palms Resort, Orlando. Delectable regional cuisine, refreshing cocktails, live entertainment and a host of activities await you at every turn as you stroll amongst the lush landscaped grounds and tropical waters of Gaylord Palms Resort Orlando. You may even win a trip to one of our many island destinations!
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