Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

From Your Friends at Special Olympics Virginia

It has been another amazing year for our Special Olympics athletes, and this holiday season we truly have a lot to be thankful for. This will be the last Piedmont Region update for the year, but we will be back with some exciting updates in 2011. By the way, how appropriate is it that as I type this “Holiday” update, there is snow falling all over South Central Virginia? Here’s hoping for a white Christmas. And to all our friends in the schools, enjoy your time off.

Happy Holidays everyone. Please have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Season’s Greetings from the President

For nearly 40 years, Special Olympics has worked to provide opportunities that lead to a more enriched, inclusive life for persons with intellectual disabilities. Without minimizing its impact, I believe that the outcome of Special Olympics goes above and beyond that original model. I can now say confidently that at the heart of Special Olympics lies a prototype for transforming society.  Special Olympics is the way the world should be, rich in understanding and joy and showing no judgment.

 “Our world, the Special Olympics world, is a world without prejudice.  We want that to be your world too.”

-Grace Anne Braxton, Special Olympics Virginia Athlete, Global Messenger and the #1 Special Olympics Golfer in the World

All at Special Olympics Virginia take pride in including you as part of our family and wish you the Happiest of Holiday Seasons.  Please take time to enjoy and reflect on our message of Opening Hearts and Changing Minds which comes from our athletes.  Share it with others at home or in the workplace as we work together to help all people understand that Special Olympics is not just for our athletes but for everyone.

Rick Jeffrey

President

WE DARE YOU…

Mark Your Calendars for the 2011 Hill City

Polar Plunge Festival

at Liberty University

The 2011 Lynchburg Polar Plunge is scheduled for Saturday, February 26^th, and guess what. It has a new name.

Mark your calendars and get your plunge costumes ready, because it’s official. The 2011 Hill City Polar Plunge Festival at Liberty University will be held on Saturday, February 26^th. Formerly named the Lynchburg Polar Plunge Festival (we like the new name better too), this year’s event promises to be the biggest one yet.

To sign up to participate, please register here by clicking on the Hill City Polar Plunge link and following the instructions. SIGN UP FOR THE PLUNGE

Also, stay up to date with all plunge developments by following the Hill City Plunge on FACEBOOK.

2011 Hill City Polar Plunge Festival

We dare you… Again
February 26, 2011 Presented by Liberty University Athletics and Campus Recreation
The weather is getting colder, and that means that it’s almost plunge time! Please join us at Liberty University, on February 26th, for the largest Special Olympics fundraiser in South Central Virginia. It is never too early to sign up, and the holidays are the perfect time to start fundraising. All the information that you need is below.
TAKE THE PLUNGE…		…FOR ATHLETES LIKE MATT
Sign Up Now: Online Registration Website: www.polarplunge.com/hillcityplunge   Follow the Hill City Polar Plunge on Facebook to get all the updates.  Follow Special Olympics on Twitter for up more information. For more information, contact Josh Walker with Special Olympics Virginia.

Annual Holiday Open House - Thursday, December 9th

Here's One for the Parents

Here’s One for the Parents

To all our Piedmont Region parents…Thank You!

By Josh Walker

Have any of you ever had one of those moments in life where you suddenly just got it? You know what I’m talking about, right? Life is a continuous process of gaining understanding, and sometimes something happens to you which causes that light in your head to click on. That happened to me two weeks ago when my son Cole was born.

I have worked for Special Olympics Virginia for almost two and a half years now, and I count myself as blessed to have the privilege of working in a job that has allowed me to make such a difference. Our athletes are truly amazing, and they are the reason that I love my work so much. I have been given the task of advocating for thousands of Special Olympics athletes in Virginia, and those of you who know me understand that I have always taken this responsibility very seriously. However, when I became a parent two weeks ago, I gained a greater appreciation for how important my job really is.

Those of you who are parents know the joy that my wife, Carrene, and I have experienced these past few weeks. I can’t begin to put into words the love that I have for my son. Nor can I express how proud I am to be a father. What I can tell you is how humbled I am to work with such amazing parents, guardians, and volunteers in the Piedmont Region. You have been fighting and advocating for your children and our athletes long before I came into the picture. It is the legacy that you have helped your children to build that has turned Special Olympics into one of the World’s most successful non profit organizations. It is that legacy that I have been entrusted with, and I want you to know that I have never appreciated that responsibility more than I do right now.

From this point on Carrene and I will have the privilege of raising Cole to be a man. It is my hope and prayer that he grows to develop the same character, determination, and joy for life that so many of our athletes show on a daily basis. Parents, you have set an example that I will strive to emulate, and I thank you for leading the way.

Fall Champs Recap

The 2010 Fall Championships, on November 6-7, were once again an amazing weekend of fun for our athletes. Congratulations to all of our Piedmont Region athletes who made the trip to Virginia Beach. You have made us all very proud!

(Below are the results that I have received from the competition. If there are any results that have been left out, please email them to me, and I will include them in a future update.)

Area 15 – Soccer Skills and Bocce

By Joanne Catron, Charlotte County Coordinator

Soccer Skills

(There were 9 divisions of athletes)

Division 6 - Whitney Dunn—Gold medal, Scott Catron—Bronze medal

Division 7 - Ta’leisha Coles—Bronze medal

Division 8 - Yasmeen Hubbard (Halifax) tied for the Gold medal, William Frank---4^th place ribbon

Division 9 - Justice Womack (Halifax) Gold medal, Daniel Harris—Silver medal, Ja’Maree Coles—Bronze medal

Bocce

Lonnie New (Halifax)  Gold medal

Area 24 – Lynchburg Volleyball

By Lori Rife, Volleyball Coach

The Lynchburg volleyball team had a great weekend and demonstrated great sportsmanship, teamwork, had a lot of fun.  As a result they brought home the gold.  Our skills team did just as well. In the words of our skills coach, "The skills team makes me so proud.” Casey did an awesome job with her setting bring home 3rd place.  Katherine nailed the bump pass bring home 2nd placed. Phillip Sparrows did an excellent job with his serving bring home 1st place.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for February 26, 2011

2011 Hill City Polar Plunge Festival at Liberty University

Click Here to Sign Up Now

More info coming soon…

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

From your friends at Special Olympics

On behalf of Special Olympics Virginia and the Piedmont Region, we would like to wish all of our athletes and volunteers a Happy Halloween! Whether you are taking your children out trick or treating, heading to a costume party, or parking yourself on the couch in front of a scary movie, we hope you have a great weekend… And be sure to eat lots of candy!

It’s Disc Golf Time

The 1^st Annual Hill City Disc Golf Tournament is tomorrow

at Peaks View Park in Lynchburg.

By Josh Walker

Tomorrow, the Piedmont Region will hold the first ever disc golf tournament to benefit the athlete of Special Olympics Virginia.

It’s not too late to come out and support our athlete on the disc golf course. Registration starts at 10 am, and walk ins are accepted. The fee is $20 per participant. Find more information by clicking here: Hill City Disc Golf Website

Over the Edge, Richmond,

is a Huge Success…

Next Stop Norfolk

By Holly Claytor

What a great weekend!  Thanks to everyone who made Over the Edge Richmond a huge success. 68 people went “over the edge,” and raised $65,000 (and counting!) for the organization! 

Below are just a few of the weekend’s media highlights.

Richmond Magazine  

Richmond.com (see Nutzy fly!)

Times-Dispatch (video)

WTKR

Richmondmom.com (owner Kate Hall tells her story)

Stay tuned for results from the Norfolk - Over the Edge fundraiser in a few weeks…

VA Beach Hotels Accepting Polar Plunge Reservations

Here is an important announcement for all of you planning to make the trip to VA Beach, on February 4-5, for the 2011 Polar Plunge. Hotels are now accepting reservations. They fill up quickly during that weekend, so you will want to book your rooms now.

For those of you waiting for information about the Polar Plunge in Lynchburg, now called the Hill City Polar Plunge, we will be sending out information with in the next month. Stay tuned…

PIC OF THE WEEK!

 Lynchburg College sophomore, and long time Special Olympics volunteer, Meg Hunt, raised over $1000 and went Over the Edge for Special Olympics Virginia last weekend. Great job, Meg!

Brave in the Attempt

A UNIQUE DOCUMENTARY

 

Support the Television Premier!

8:00 PM and 11:00 PM, October 21, 2010

Why are people with disabilities so strange? Why do I feel so uncomfortable around them? Brave in the Attempt endeavors to break through the barriers of perception that alienate those with disabilities from the rest of the population. How someone looks and sounds on the outside may not predicate who they are on the inside.
Often humorous and poignant, this feature documentary follows a basketball team of 15 young athletes in their quest for Olympic gold. Though they may have disabilities, they have the same desire for competition we all do. Some want to win very badly. Some are better athletes than others. Some don’t like sports at all. In other words, they are just like everyone else.
Throughout the journey the athletes with their coaches and families give us insight into the challenges facing those with disabilities while showing us just how capable they really are. Through their tournaments, social events, work and school we get a glimpse into their lives as well as how to build a team.
We hope this documentary will be a great first step to introduce everyone to the disability population, and how normal they really are.

SEE IT - 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM, October 21, 2010 on:

THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL

DISH Network - Channel 197           DIRECTV - Channel 267

 

Air dates for other partner channels can be located at:

Nashville (NPT2) = www.wnpt.org
New York (NYCTV) = www.nyctv.com
Denver (KBDI) = www.kbdi.org  

Thank You

Thank you to our friends at Liberty University for making the 2010 Day with the Flames such an amazing experience for our Special Olympics athletes. This is the best way that we could think of to say thank you.

"Third Time is a Charm" & "What Special Means"

Third Time is a Charm for Area 15 Special Olympics

After twice being delayed by bad weather, Area 15 Special Olympics was finally able to hold their annual fall competition, and what a day it was.

By Joanne Catron

What a great day!  After two attempts, and despite the chilly weather, Area 15 came together for a wonderful soccer skills and bocce event.  I guess the third time was a charm, although it could have been “three strikes and you’re out!”

We introduced Bocce as a new sport for Area 15, and had nine total athletes from Halifax (three adult and six elementary level).  Lonnie New, will be attending the State Fall Champs for Bocce, while Katie Wallace will be an alternate.

For soccer skills, there were 65 athletes in attendance.  Seven were Young Athletes.  Five of which competed for the first time.  The rest of the 58 athletes were divided between elementary, middle, high school and adult athletes from Charlotte County, and Halifax/South Boston. Charlotte County is sending seven soccer athletes to the Fall Championships, while Halifax/South Boston is sending two.

Volunteers are an important part of any program.  Charlotte County was lucky to have three volunteers from the Sheriff’s Department, five from the community and approximately 60 from the high school and middle school combined.

A special thanks to all the special education staff and PE staff who helped prepare their athletes for today, all administrators for making it possible, the maintenance department, the Randolph Henry High School band, and ARAMARK for lunch.

Sincerely,

Joanne Catron

Charlotte County Coordinator

What Special Means

From the Big Sister of a Special Needs Child

 By Lauren Compton

WSET reporter and Special Olympics volunteer, Lauren Compton, wrote this blog about her little sister. She included it in this week’s Lynchburg Special Olympics newsletter, and it was so moving that we just had to share it with all of you.

Since the story aired last week on WSET about Liberty University's 'Pledge to Spread the Word to End the Word', I've gotten numerous inquiries about my little sister Sara. And, as the big sister of a child with Down Syndrome, the word special has a deeper meaning for me.

And, as I'm learning through my experiences with Special Olympics, special doesn't even come close to describing the amazing feats of Special Olympians.

I wanted to share with you a blog I wrote for WSET a few months ago about what special means to me. I'm sure it'll resonate with many of you.

My Definition of Special

In my mind she was no different from the rest of us, except she had the ability to see the world through much kinder eyes. She wouldn't see it for its possible dangers. She would run up to complete strangers and wrap her arms around them, smiling. It was her way of showing someone she liked them. She's wasn't special or handicapped, to me she was just my little sister. Her small eyes and facial features were beautiful.  Her facial features, and mannerisms where things made my sister special and unique. To my family and  I  she was our little ray of sunshine, the person in our lives who taught us to love with compassion.

Her smile is always so pure, and full of happiness. She has this innocence about her, an innocence that will never allow her to fully understand the depth of the world in the way I would grow to see it.  She will never understand that the world would treat her differently because of her speech or the way she looked. She wouldn't understand the reason people stared at her or the mean things they were saying about her. But, I knew. And I could feel their eyes staring at our family and her. I could hear the whispers from behind us, and when I was younger it angered me…

To finish reading this story, please click HERE

Day with the Flames =

a Day to Remember

By Josh Walker

 From volleyball and tailgating to football and fireworks, we couldn’t have planned a better Saturday for the athletes in the Piedmont Region. Thank you to our friends at Liberty University for giving our athletes such an amazing day. In addition to the day’s activities, students at Liberty also collected over 100 r-word pledges at the Flames women’s volleyball game. Now that is what I call a great day!

To see more pictures from the Day with the Flames click HERE.

Support from the Flames

Liberty Athletics Teams Up with Special Olympics

This fall, Liberty Athletics will become the first collegiate program in the nation to officially endorse the international "Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign.”

By Holly Claytor

This fall, Liberty Athletics will become the first collegiate program in the nation to officially endorse the international "Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign," which asks people to eliminate the demeaning use of the word "retard." Liberty kicked off the promotion Aug. 25 at its annual Student-Athlete Barbeque, when football players Matt Camire, who first approached the athletics department about the idea, and quarterback Mike Brown, challenged their fellow student athletes to "lead by example" and sign the R-Word pledge. To date, more than 270 Liberty student-athletes have signed the pledge, and more are joining the campaign each day.

Liberty Invites Special Olympics to campus for “Day with the Flames” Saturday

This Saturday, Liberty will take its support to new heights when it welcomes Special Olympics athletes from around the Piedmont Region for the first "Day with the Flames." Athletes will spend time at a women's volleyball game, a volleyball clinic and their very own tailgate, compliments of Liberty Catering, before ending the day with a Flames football game at the grand re-opening of Williams Stadium.

Liberty student-athletes also plan to hand out R-Word pledge cards to the weekend's visitors and spectators. They won't stop "spreading the word" after this weekend, though. In addition to handing out pledge cards throughout the year, they plan to recognize Special Olympics at an upcoming basketball game, and once again host the Liberty Polar Plunge Festival in February. At this year's plunge, "Spread the Word to End the Word" and "Respect" will be two of the event themes.

Coverage on WSET

Click the link above to view an amazing story that reporter, Lauren Compton, and WSET ABC Channel 13, did on the Flames’ “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign.

Thank you Flames

"Liberty University and its Athletics Department have taken an active role in supporting our Special Olympics athletes here in Lynchburg," said Special Olympics Virginia Piedmont Region Director Josh Walker. "It is a testament to their student-athletes and their leadership that they are embracing ‘Spread the Word to End the Word,' and it is only fitting that they are serving as examples to the rest of NCAA. We cannot thank them enough for their support."

For more information about Liberty's "Spread the Word" support, please contact Josh Walker at jwalker@specialolympicsva.org or 434-582-4712. To take the Special Olympics Virginia "R" word pledge, visit www.specialolympicsva.org/rword.

A Great Weekend for Fundraising!

Farmville and Charlotte County Special Olympics, both held successful fundraisers, last weekend

Farmville Special Olympics poses for a group photo during their 3^rd Annual Special Bikers for Special Olympics fundraiser. Thank you Cruiser Club 30!

Who doesn’t like to dance to “Summer Loving” or “Greased Lightning”? Charlotte County Special Olympics sure does. Thank you to everyone who turned out to support their Sock Hop fundraiser.

Friends of SOVA Section

This weekend, Liberty Catering, will be providing 100 boxed lunches for our athletes to eat during their Day with the Flames tailgate. Because of their generosity and the inclusive hiring practice of Liberty Dining, we are highlighting SODEXO - FLAVOURS (LIBERTY CATERING) and THE NORTH CAMPUS CAFÉ.

Not only will Flavours be catering the Day with the Flames, this weekend, but they have already committed to donating beverages to the Polar Plunge at Liberty, in February 2011. However, we would be remiss if we did not mention the North Campus Café. They are known for hiring people with disabilities, and any business that is willing to hire our athletes is a friend of ours. Thank you Flavours and the North Campus Café!

Check out the Flavours website here: http://www.flavoursevents.com

Social Networking and Special Olympics

Social Networking and Special Olympics

The future for non profits is online, and the Piedmont Region is ready.

 

You can’t escape it. Everywhere you go people are talking about social media sites. You know what I’m talking about. Your friends are constantly updating their Facebook status. You turn on the TV to watch the news or your favorite sporting event, and they are taking instant surveys via Twitter. Online blogs, on sites like BlogSpot, are quickly gaining more attention than newspapers. You would think that you could escape this social media blitz at work, but even there, your coworkers are probably sending you invitations to join their professional network on LinkedIn. And if you’re like me, no day is complete without watching at least one funny YouTube video. It is the world we live in now, and there is no avoiding it.

That’s why Special Olympics in the Piedmont Region, is diving head first into the social media scene. In the next few weeks, several of the Special Olympics programs in your area will be establishing Facebook pages and weekly online newsletters. They will have regularly updated news pages, and some programs will also be using Twitter and BlogSpot as well. They will post everything from news stories and competition updates to practice cancellations and fundraising announcements. It is all in an effort to keep you, our volunteers and the community at large, up to date about the amazing things that our athletes are accomplishing. Communication with the public is one of the most important things that our local programs can do to be successful, and to accomplish this, we are about to go viral!

Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks…

For those of you already on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or BlogSpot, please follow the Piedmont Region by clicking the links below. (For those of you who are not, we encourage you to sign up.)

www.facebook.com/specialolympicsvapiedmontregion

http://twitter.com/SOVAPiedmont

http://www.youtube.com/SOVAPiedmont
http://sovapiedmont.blogspot.com/

 Lynchburg College Student and Piedmont Region Volunteer Going OVER THE EDGE for Special Olympics Virginia

We don’t often highlight individual fundraising efforts in this newsletter, but when a local college student takes it upon herself to raise $1,000, drive to Richmond, and rappel off of a 25 story building, all for our Special Olympics athletes, well… we figured that you would want to hear about it.

Megan Hunt is a Special Education student at Lynchburg College, who has become actively involved with Special Olympics Virginia. I first met Megan when I went to talk to her class last fall. Since that time she has volunteered at local Special Olympics events, attended the 2010 Volunteer Conference, and now she is going Over The Edge for Special Olympics Virginia. Please support her efforts by clicking this link. www.firstgiving.com/meganhunt1

Great job, Megan!

Support the Arc of Central VA at Their Upcoming Book Sales

Book Sale -SAVE THE DATES

October 1^st  8:00a.m – 7:00p.m

October 2^nd  9:00a.m – 2:00p.m.

The Arc's "Bookworm Book Sale" will be held on Friday, October 1^st, and Saturday, October 2^nd .  Rooms will be filled with lots of tempting used books, and some of them are real treasures.  Come, bring your friends, browse, and purchase reading materials for all of the coming months. In addition to over fifty categories of books, there will be a Silent Auction of rare and coveted books, as well as story times for children.  What an easy way to support The Arc! More details will be available on The Arc's website (www.arcofcva.org).

For more information, please contact:

Connie Blackwell

Director of Operations and Development

The Arc of Central Virginia

1508 Bedford Ave

Lynchburg, VA 24504

CBlackwell@arcofcva.org

Friends of SOVA Section In light of today’s focus on social media, we are highlighting RIOT SPORTS MARKETING. It’s time to start a RIOT in the Piedmont Region!  Several programs, in the Piedmont Region, will be using the Riot System to update their Facebook, Twitter, and news pages during the upcoming year. Founder, Jim Harshaw, started Riot Sports Marketing to help high school, college, and non profit athletic programs use social media to market themselves. Now, they are giving generous discounts to Special Olympics programs who want to effectively enter the social media scene. Thank you RIOT! Check out the Riot website here: http://www.riotsportspromotions.com