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365 Newsletter - Special Olympics Florida

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January, 2009

Special Double Issue!

December and January were jam-packed, so let's get you caught up!

Five Continents...Thirteen Cities...37,000 Miles...One Flame...
One Day of History

On January 13, the Flame of Hope for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games arrived in Miami, as the first of only five cities in the United States to host the Global Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Flame began its Miami stop in a noteworthy manner: for the first time ever, the flame arrived via water!

Escorted by a fleet of law enforcement water craft, the Flame was brought ashore via jet ski by Jesus Alvaredo of DHL and Shawn Kouri of Miami Beach Ocean Rescue. It was transferred from DHL, the Official Sponsor of the Global Torch Run, to 350 Florida law enforcement representatives and Special Olympics athletes on world-renowned South Beach.

Find out what happened next and follow the Flame's journey...

Be Our Valentine at the Champions' Gala

Saturday, February 14

Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando

Only a few seats are still available for the 6th Annual Champions' Gala, presented by Publix, benefiting the athletes of Special Olympics Florida.

Join us for an evening of gourmet food, live music, dancing, auctions and inspirational stories.

You will meet Special Olympics Athlete Ambassadors and hear first-hand the impact Special Olympics has on the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.

Be our Valentine by attending the Champions' Gala!

Individual Gala Tickets Available for $200 | Gala Fact Sheet | Romance Hotel Package

Athletes Learn Football from the Pros as Part of Super Bowl Week

As part of Tampa's Super Bowl 43 festivities, the NFL hosted a Flag football clinic for 40 Special Olympics athletes from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk Counties on January 25.

The athletes were lead through a series of running, blocking, catching and passing skills stations by pro and amateur coaches.

After honing their flag football skills, two teams were formed and a highly competitive, but fun game was held, with onlookers suddenly becoming the athletes' cheering sections.

BJ Askew of the Tampa Bay Bucs and Laurent Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons joined in the fun by giving tips, playing on one of the teams and signing autographs...

View photos from the clinic

Sports Illustrated Honors Eunice Kennedy Shriver with the First Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award

In a ceremony held on December 3, Sports Illustrated honored Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver with the first Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award at the 2008 Sportsman of the Year celebration in New York City. Bobby Shriver, Mrs. Shriver's son, attended the celebration and accepted the award on her behalf.

The Sportsman of the Year Legacy Award was created to recognize those who have, over the course of their lifetime, demonstrated the ideals of sportsmanship.

Mrs. Shriver was recognized for having transformed a population. In 1968, she marched alongside 1,000 athletes from 26 states in the first Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Chicago, Illinois. On that day Mrs. Shriver recited the impactful words that remains the Special Olympics oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Today more than 2.8 million athletes participate in the Special Olympics in 180 countries worldwide. In addition to recognizing Mrs. Shriver's lifetime of selfless contributions, the December issue of Sports Illustrated included a feature on Special Olympics.

Read Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum's look back at the 40-year-history of Special Olympics and the first Special Olympics Games in 1968.

Orange County Coach Silvia Haas Named
Bank of America Local Hero

Bank of America presents its "Local Heroes" award to those who champion causes vital to their communities, who inspire others to get involved, and who make a special and significant impact on individuals, families, or communities.

In a ceremony in Orlando, Special Olympics Orange County Coach Silvia Haas was named a Local Hero for her passion and extraordinary dedication to Special Olympics and individuals with Autism, as a coach, as a teacher, and as a Camp Shriver Director.

Here's an excerpt from Haas' award introduction speech: "Because of her dedication, she has opened doors for these young athletes and their families that most probably never thought possible. Many parents believed their children had no athletic talents, but after putting them in the program with Coach Haas not only did their athletic talents shine, so did their social skills, their behavior skills and their language skills."

As part of her acceptance speech, Haas said "Where does one person begin to thank an organization that changes your life, your family's life, and the lives of the students you teach? For all of the families I coach, it is not about winning a game, it is about that we as a community can celebrate the achievement of our child behaving appropriately, doing an age appropriate activity and smiling from ear to ear and saying 'I did it!'

That is what we measure success by...that is what we as parents, coaches, volunteers, members of the community share when we see these athletes showcased in Special Olympics. I am proud to say 'I am a Special Olympics Coach.'"

FANtastic Support from the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic's January 6 game against the Washington Wizards was "Special Olympics Tribute Night." The entire evening was a salute to Special Olympics Florida, including the attendance of over 500 Special Olympics athletes, volunteers and supporters.

The evening kicked off with Central Florida Special Olympics athlete forming a tunnel that greeted and high-fived the Orlando Magic as they took the court for warm-ups (pictured left with Magic player Mickael Pietrus).

Next, Maria Brous of Publix Super Markets and Lou Bruno of Procter and Gamble, representing the tribute evening's presenting sponsors, took part in the Team Captain's Meeting at center court.

Half time featured a salute to Special Olympics, where local athletes were joined on court by Orlando Magic COO Alex Martins and Magic Community Ambassadors Nick Anderson and Bo Outlaw.

An annual supporter of Special Olympics, the Orlando Magic help to raise funds and awareness amongst Magic fans by inviting them to "Be a Fan" of Special Olympics by taking the first steps towards involvement via volunteerism, donating, and by respecting and embracing people with intellectual disabilities.

See photos from the Tribute Night with the Magic!

Osceola County athletes on the red carpet with (l-r, back row) Hayden Craddolph, Michael Attardi, Tim Curry, Nicolosi.

Red Carpet Evening for
Special Olympics

Orlando-based animation studio Dream Balloon Productions and Haydenfilms rolled out the red carpet, Hollywood-style, for Special Olympics on December 11 when it presented their award-winning animated short, "Once Upon a Christmas Village," as part of a short film showcase, held in Celebration, FL.

Embracing the spirit of the season, those attending were asked to bring an unwrapped gift for a Special Olympics athlete.

Special Olympics Osceola County athletes and their families greeted the event guests and accepted the gifts, which were then distributed to some of Osceola County's athletes in need, just in time for the holidays!

Actor Tim Curry, who voiced the character of "Sir Evil" in "Once Upon a Christmas Village" greeted athletes and posed for pictures, along with Haydenfilms President Hayden Craddolph, and the film's director, Michael Attardi.

Following the film showcase was a reception where world-renowned artist Nicolosi, known for his portraits of celebrities such as Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep, unveiled an original piece of art depicting the character, "Sir Evil," as voiced by Tim Curry, which will be auctioned at a later date, with proceeds benefiting Special Olympics Florida.

See Photos from the event! (Go to Screen 2)

Freezin' for a Reason

For more than 100 years, members of Polar Bear Clubs around the world have gathered in their bathing suits to "take the plunge" into icy winter-chilled lakes and waterways, often to benefit Special Olympics programs.

On November 28 (that's right, the morning after Thanksgiving), Orlando became the latest city to establish a Polar Bear Club, when Gaylord Palms Resort hosted a twist on this bizarre tradition...

Guests had the opportunity to take their own cold-weather plunge through ICE!, Orlando's 9-degree holiday attraction hand-carved from nearly two million pounds of ice, by running through in their bathing suits! And it all benefited Special Olympics Florida! The ICE! attraction, carved by a team of 40 artisans from China, featured a walk-through winter wonderland of ice sculptures and monuments, all intricately carved from ice.

The highlight of the attraction was four ice speed slides which provided a thrilling (and icy) "plunge" for participants. Local Special Olympics athletes cheered on participants and at the post-plunge warm-up reception, participants were named official members of the Orlando Polar Bear Club and received a special certificate to commemorate their plunge.

But why would a person want to run through the 9-degree ICE attraction in a bathing suit? "The short answer is simple... 'just because,'" said resort General Manager Kemp Gallineau. "Because it's fun and memorable - something to laugh about, brag about and blog about - and it benefited a great organization, Special Olympics Florida."

See Polar Plunge Photos! (Go to Screen 2)

Tag, We're It!

Check this out: Tag Galaxy maps Flickr photos onto a virtual solar system. Yeah, you kinda have to see it in action to understand.

We're not sure if it's helpful, but it is really cool to see Special Olympics photos from around the world!

Enter "Special Olympics" as the tag and the click on the center planet to get started.

What's Next?

Fall Classic Show on Sun Sports: Relive the excitement of the 2008 State Fall Classic, on Sun Sports network throughout February. See broadcast dates and times and who's featured in the show!

2009 World Winter Games: February 7-13, Boise Idaho. Nearly 3,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in seven winter sport events.

Keep tabs on Florida's two athletes participating in the World Winter Games: Angela Gunderman of West Palm Beach (participating in alpine skiing) and Rebekah Lohr of Jupiter (participating in figure skating).

Champion's Gala: Saturday, February 14 (Valentine's Day), 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando.

Take care of all your Valentine's Day plans by attending the 6th Annual Champions' Gala: this elegant-attire evening features a gourmet dinner, open bar, silent and live auctions, live entertainment, dancing and inspirational stories that celebrate the power of the human spirit. Individual tickets and table sponsorships available.

State Basketball Tournaments

Northwest Sectional
February 6-7
Total Official Participants: 355
Where: Eglin A.F.B.
Participating Counties: Okaloosa, Walton, Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Hamilton, Columbia, Escambia, and Taylor
Volunteers: Not needed at this time.

Southeast Sectional
February 6-7
Total Official Participants: 495
Where: Patrick A.F.B., Cocoa Beach
Participating Counties: Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Orange, Lake, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, Flagler, Duval, St. Johns and Baker
Volunteers: Not needed at this time.

Southwest Sectional
February 13-14
Total Official Participants: 355
Where: University of South Florida, Tampa
Participating Counties: Citrus, Sumter, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Alachua, Sarasota, Collier, Manatee and Charlotte
Volunteers: Needed! Contact Tom Denham at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fiddler's Green 5K: Saturday, March 7, Winter Park, 7:30AM start. Get a jump start on St. Patrick's Day by lacing up your tennies and joining us for the 1st Annual Fiddler's Green 5K Run and Walk benefiting Special Olympics Florida. Register and More Info

State Summer Games: May 15-16, Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex. Volunteer registration available beginning in March.

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