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From the Desk of the CEO...
With Thanksgiving just right around the corner (where did the year go?), I reflect on the many things we are grateful for at Special Olympics Idaho. I would like to take this time to thank our many volunteers. Special Olympics Idaho volunteers come from every walk of life. They are parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, coaches and teachers, bankers and media, nurses and doctors, accountants and business people, students and homemakers. Truly, their names are legion. Volunteers do everything there is to do in Special Olympics and more. They are fundraisers, administrators, chaperones, coaches, policy makers, friends and supporters of Special Olympics Idaho. They serve without salary, without recognition, without honors or awards. And we could not do without them, their devotion, their work, and their skills. Thank you, volunteers. You represent the highest values of the human spirit. And you get your thanks, not in money or words of praise, but through what you do for Special Olympics Idaho. For as the poet E.A. Robinson said, "There are two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give." Happy Thanksgiving!
Laurie La Follette, CEO
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Coeur d'Alene Breakfast With Champions Set for December 17th!
The third Annual Breakfast With Champions, Coeur d'Alene will be held Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at the Coeur d'Alene Inn. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 am. The program will feature presentations by local athletes as well as highlighting the three north Idaho athletes who will be representing Special Olympics Idaho at the 2009 World Winter Games.
Our goal with this highly-visible and prestigious event is to raise the visibility of our athletes in our community and to raise funds to meet the needs of our growing program. We do not sell tickets to Breakfast With Champions. It is by invitation only. To be a Sponsor or a Table Captain (someone who puts together a table of 10), call Christine at 323-0482 x. 21.
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Please Help... Take our Simple Survey
To gauge the awareness and interest in our Athlete Leadership Programs, we have prepared a brief survey. If you could take a few moments to fill it out, we would greatly appreciate it!
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| SOID Job Opening
Special Olympics Idaho is currently seeking a new team member. We are looking for a full-time Program Assistant to provide administrative support to the VP of Volunteers and Outreach and the VP of Sports Training and Competition. Duties will include assisting in the development and implementation of SOID school outreach and sports initiatives, and ensuring an accurate and effective volunteer documentation process. The deadline for application is November 24, 2008
To apply please email or fax a resume with cover letter c/o Shanna Endow, VP Volunteers and Outreach, to:
(208) 323-0486 Fax
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2009 World Winter Games Needs Your Help
The volunteer deadline for the 2009 World Winter Games has passed but, we still help needed in the following programs!
HostTown Program
The Host Town Program is a unique and exciting opportunity for international delegations to be welcomed into hearts and homes of the people of Idaho. For four days and three nights, international delegations are paired with sponsoring Idaho communities. A HostTown can be a business, church, service organization, school or neighborhood. Host Towns provide transportation, housing, meals and training facilities for each of the sports, along with entertainment and activities that showcase Idaho, its culture and the local community.
To learn more about the Host Town Program visit Host Town or contact HostTown@2009worldgames.org.
Family Ambassador Program
The purpose of the Family Ambassador Program is to provide a warm welcome to Special Olympics families visiting Idaho during the World Winter Games. Family Ambassadors will be paired up with a visiting Special Olympics family and will be the first people to communicate with that family when they arrive in Idaho, USA. This is a hospitality program, not a home stay program.
For more information on the Family Ambassador Program visit Family Ambassador Program or contact FamilyServices@2009worldgames.org.
Fans in the Stands
People of any age can be a part of Fans in the Stands, a cheering section for athletes during their competitions. Fans in the Stands is a great way to show your support for the World Winter Games and demonstrate the meaning of the Special Olympics spirit.
If you are interested in being a part of Fans in the Stands for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, please contact fan@2009worldgames.org.
Delegation Assistant Liaison (DAL)
The DAL will be the lead volunteer assigned to a visiting delegation of coaches and athletes. The DAL will work closely with the Head of Delegation (HoD) and accompany the HoD to all official meetings and events.
Volunteers seeking to become DAL should be bilingual and have knowledge of the foreign country and culture of the assigned delegation. We also do need DALs to serve our English speaking delegations. The candidate must have strong communication skills and be flexible and creative in solving challenges. The DAL must also be able to commit to one or two weeks, as the candidate will reside with the delegation during the Games.
If you are interested in participating as a DAL please contact Sunniva Hoff at sunniva.hoff@2009worldgames.org. |
Amy's Leave Begins November 21, 2008
Starting November 21st I will be on maternity leave until January 12, 2009. Any questions about the Final Leg Torch Run will be replied to as soon as possible. If you have questions about the Penguin Plunge on January 17th please contact Christine Jarski or Laurie Lafollette. All other inquiries about the LETR program will be responded to when I get back.
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Law Enforcement Torch Run
The Idaho LETR program had one AMAZING year! We raised over $94,000 for Special Olympics! A huge thank you and congratulations goes to all of the law enforcement officers that donated their time to help raise money and awareness for us. THANK YOU! This program would not be possible with out all of your support. I look forward to an even better 2009!
PENGUIN PLUNGE: January 17, 2009
The plunge will be on January 17th at 11am in the Meridian Wal-Mart parking lot on the corner of Eagle Rd and Fairveiw Ave. Be watching our website to register! Start getting your plunge teams together now!
THE FINAL LEG TORCH RUN FOR WORLD WINTER GAMESHere is the long awaited list of cities and towns the Final Leg Torch Run will be going through as it makes its way to Boise for the lighting of the cauldron at Opening Ceremony! Please watch for more information in your local area as it gets closer to the event.
2009 World Winter Games Final Leg Run Routes January 29 CDA-Eastport-Bonners Ferry-Sandpoint -Wallace-Osburn-Kellogg-Pinehurst January 30 Rathdrum-Lewiston-Moscow-Worley-Post Falls- February 1 Burley-Rupert February 2 Preston-Malad-McCammon-Pocatello-Chubbuck-Montpeiler, Soda Springs-Inkom-St. Anthony-Rexburg-Rigby-IdahoFalls-Shelley-Blackfoot February 3 Pocatello--American Falls--Kimberly--Twin Falls--Sun Valley - Shoshone - Jerome - Ketchum-Wendell-Gooding- February 4 Glenns Ferry-Mountain Home-Boise February 5 Parma- Caldwell -Middleton-Star-Eagle-Emmett-Weiser-Payette-Fruitland-McCall-Cascade-Horseshoe Bend February 6 Kuna-POST Academy-Meridian City Hall-Mt. View HS-St. Lukes West-South Jr High-Hawthorne-Timberline-Boise HS-Washington-Whittier-Horizon Elementary-Borah HS-Centennial HS- West YMCA-Nampa BECOME A PART OF LETR!If you or anyone you know would like to become more involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run program I would love to hear from you! Please email me at Amy@idso.org or call me at 208-323-0482 to find our how you can be involved. |
NNU Course Credit Opportunity- Spring Semester
Teachers interested in earning one graduate credit now have the opportunity to take part in a course taught by Dr. Mary Gervase through Northwest Nazarene University. Ed 550 -Education to Make a Difference- is a course designed as an independent-learning team experience in which educators teach a series of three concise and engaging K-12 lessons about valuing diversity through involvement with Special Olympics.
The course allows educators who teach the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games K-12 curriculum, which has been mailed to all public and private Idaho schools in Idaho, to earn one graduate credit. Educators enrolled in the course form teams in schools or districts and have online access to lesson plans, literature selections, PowerPoint presentations and other activities and ultimately teach the lessons in individual classrooms. Teachers will maintain and submit a reflective journal on the changes in student behavior, engagement, compassion, acceptance, appreciation of differences and involvement with Special Olympics.
Teachers can enroll in the course at the cost of $65 for the credit for spring semester by going to: www.NNU.edu/cereg. The deadline to enroll in the course for the spring is January 12, 2009. For more information on the course, please contact the instructor, Dr. Mary Gervase, at marymgervase@yahoo.com.
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Let Me Be Brave: Portraits of Courage
The photography of Susan Valiquette
This winter's featured artist at the Boise Art Museum will be Idaho photographer Susan Valiquette in her first solo museum exhibition. The exhibition will run from December 6, 2008 through March 1, 2009. Valiquette's featured series titled; Let Me Be Brave: Portraits of Courage, consists of 30 portraits of Special Olympics Idaho athletes. Many of the athletes who appear in Valiquette's photographs will be competing at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, February 7th-13th.
Valiquette has been taking portraits at Special Olympics Idaho's state summer and winter games for the past six years where she intended to "capture the unique beauty [and] communicate the transcendental nobility of humankind" through film. Susan Valiquette's interest in Special Olympics Idaho is both professional and personal. Her son, Reuben, has been training and competing with Special Olympics for the past 24 years. He is one of the Idaho athletes who are both featured in Valiquette's photography, and competing at the 2009 World Winter Games.
Join Susan Valiquette for ART TALK February 5, 2008 at 5:30pm at the Boise Art Museum where she will talk about the photographs in her exhibition. |
A Unified Family with Unified Sports™
By Aaron Olson and Christine Jarski
Within the Caldwell Wildcats Unified Floor Hockey team is a family who grows together with Unified Sports™ and Special Olympics Idaho. The Reed Family has been involved with Special Olympics for a very long time.
More than 26 years ago, before they had children, Gordon and Penny Reed began volunteering for Special Olympics at Track and Field. In 1984, after two years as volunteers, Gordon and Penny had a son, Eric, who was born with Down syndrome. Their involvement with Special Olympics grew in these subsequent years, and so did their family. Two daughters, Aeriann and Chelsie would join the ranks and eventually become active members of the Special Olympics movement along with their brother Eric. "It was a way for us to do things with our brother," said Aeriann.
Involvement in Special Olympics eventually became a criterion for dating either of the Reed girls and has added two new members to the Reed coalition. Aeriann married Kyle Kiefer and together they play Floor Hockey with Eric and the Wildcats. Chelsie brought Tyler Gunter to Special Olympics Idaho and they too, play Floor Hockey with the Wildcats.
"[Special Olympics athletes] have taught me that there are more important things than winning and, that friendship is the greatest gift," said Kyle.
"I am going to volunteer as long as I can, and from wherever I am," said Tyler.
In the past 26 years, the Reed family has played in, coached, and volunteered for nearly every sport offered by Special Olympics Idaho. And together, through Unified Sports™, they will compete with the Caldwell Wildcats at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, as a team. |
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Wood River High School Students are Fans of Special Olympics
By Aaron Olson
In anticipation for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games events to be held in Sun Valley, Idaho, one high school has taken the lead in preparation. Hailey, Idaho's Wood River High School Student Union has made Special Olympics their cause, calling themselves the "Be a fan" team.
On October 14 2008, the 20-member "Be a fan" team led an assembly of nearly 900 of their peers, school faculty, and community members to build support and awareness for Special Olympics Idaho. The "Be a fan" team introduced the assembly as a "celebration for the upcoming 2009 World WInter Games." They showed Special Olympics videos, held a floor hockey demonsration, and announced plans to hold two large events for the athletes who will be in Sun Valley in February: the "Snowflake Ball" and a Dinner Variety show. The "Snowflake Ball" will be a dance for the more than 650 athletes and coaches, and will follow the Grand Opening in Sun Valley on February 8, 2009. On February 10, 2009, when athletes and coaches will be having dinner at Wood River High School, the students will host the Dinner Variety show; providing rotating entertainment during the meal. They also plan to put together gift bags for each of the athletes competing in Sun Valley, Idaho.
In addition to organizing and hosting two large events, the "Be a fan" team is leading the front to eliminate the R-word from everyday speech at their school. As of mid-November, more than 45% of the Wood River High School students had signed a pledge to stop using the word. The group's goal is to have 100% of the student body on board by January 23, 2009.
These students have taken an inspiring initiative to make sure the athletes and coaches of the 2009 World Winter Games are welcomed. They have set ambitious goals to eliminate hurtful language from their hallways. Thank you Wood River High School. |
SOID Athletes in the News-
You may have noticed Josh Ortega, Special Olympics Idaho snowboarder, in the Boise Weekly November 5-11, 2008. He, along with a handful of Boise-area snowboarders, offered up their top-five bands to listen to while carving the slopes this winter. Read the article and check out Ortega's top-five picks at: http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A318860. Josh will be representing Idaho in the 2009 World Winter Games. |
First Ever All Unified State Competition, Fall 2009
By Corby Goade, VP Sports and Training
We have set a date for our state unified fall invitational in 2009. We will be competing in Coeur D'alene the weekend of October 16th. All of the staff are very excited about this. It will be the first time in seven years that a state competition will be held in northern Idaho! At this unified invitational competition, we will have athletes competing in golf, volleyball and outdoor soccer. Please keep in mind- this is an INVITATIONAL event! This means that athletes must come in first place in their event at area games in order to qualify to compete at this competition.
About SOID Unified Sports
This will also mark the first time in Special Olympics Idaho history that we offer a competition for strictly unified sports. This is important because it affords volunteers and the general public many more opportunities to get involved. Unified sports are a section of our program where anyone can play on a team with the athletes. This means that family members, friends or just anyone who wants to get involved can get out there and play soccer, volleyball or golf with our athletes.
Now, before you get too excited about showing up and golfing at the competition; we consider our unified athletes to be Special Olympics athletes. This means that we hold everyone to the same high standards for training and conduct that we always hold our athletes to. If you want to compete on a team with our athletes, you must come to every practice. You must give 110% effort at all times. You aren't considered a coach or supervisor- you are an athlete, there to compete and win just like everyone else.
If you are interested in trying out one of our unified sports, feel free to send me an e-mail. I will connect you with a coach near you who can get you filled in on the details about practices and other requirements their team might have. Really- could there be a more fun way to get involved in Special Olympics?
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Live Foundation, Whittenberger Foundation and United Hauling Help Send 2009 Caldwell Wildcats to World Winter Games
The Caldwell Wildcats are a Special Olympics Unified Sports™ team that has earned the privilege to participate in the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Boise, Idaho as part of Team USA. Through the dedicated efforts of its athletes and coaches, the Wildcats achieved, in less than one year, a gold medal finish in the 2008 Special Olympics World Invitational Games which qualified them to join Team USA at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The success of the Caldwell Wildcats Unified Floor Hockey team attracted the attention of Special Olympics International, which granted special dispensation to allow the entire team to compete as one in a world games competition. Traditionally, Team USA team sports consist of representatives from several state chapters that join together on one team. This is indeed a unique opportunity to highlight the abilities and sportsmanship of this team! The 14-members of the Caldwell Wildcats will be joined by Charlie Hill from Lewis-Clark and Robyn Foilles from the Payette Grizzlies who were selected as individual floor hockey players to represent Special Olympics Idaho. The cost of sending an individual athlete to the World Winter Games is $3,500 per athlete. In November, Special Olympics Idaho received a $15,000 grant from the Live Foundation and a $3,000 grant from the Whittenberger Foundation to help the Caldwell Wildcats attend the World Winter Games. United Hauling also contributed $3,500 from the proceeds of the annual United Hauling Truck Show to support the Wildcats. Funding is still needed to send these ambassadors of sport and spirit to competition. If you or anyone you know is interested in sponsoring the Wildcats or one of the other World Winter Games Athletes, please contact Christine Jarski at (208) 323-0482 x. 21 or Christine@idso.org. Check out all of the Team Idaho Athletes Bios on our website! |
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Be an Athlete Mentor
"The freethinking of one age is the common sense of the next."
Matthew Arnold, 1875
In 1968 when Special Olympics began, the idea that people with intellectual disabilities might be able to compete in Olympic-type sports training and competition was considered "freethinking." Today, it is common sense.
Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs allow athletes to explore opportunities for Special Olympics participation in roles previously considered "non-traditional." Such participation might come in the form of an athlete serving on the Board of Directors or local organizing committee. Athletes can also be: spokespersons, team captains, coaches or officials.
These programs cannot exist without the support and dedication of speech coaches and mentors, those willing to assist athletes in realizing their true potential!
If you think you might be interested in becoming a mentor for 2009 or would like more information, please contact Kelly Brown at kelly@idso.org with your name and email address or call (208) 323-0482.
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Be a Fan of Unified Sports™
Join a Unified Team!
Special Olympics Idaho's Unified Sports™ builds teams consisting of athletes with and without disabilities for training and competition. There are many sports available and they are a great way for you and your family to make a difference!
SOID offersthe following Unified Sports™:
Nordic Skiing Relay
Snowshoe Relay
Basketball
Volleyball
Soccer
Golf
Floor Hockey
Softball
Fall of 2009 will feature Special Olympics Idaho's first ever All-Unified™ Fall Invitational Games. All ages and skill levels are invited to join a Unified™ team. The 2009 Fall Invitational will feature: Unified Volleyball™, Unified Golf™, and Unified Soccer™.
For more information about how you can participate as a Unified Partner™,
Call:
Corby Goade, VP
Sports and Training: (208) 323-0482, ext. 22
Or
Shanna Endow, VP Volunteers and Outreach: (208) 323-0482, ext. 14 |
| Staff Contacts:
Laurie LaFollette
CEO
(208) 323-0482 ext 12
@idso.org
Christine Jarski
VP Development and Marketing
(208) 323-0482 ext 21
Shanna Endow
VP Volunteers and Outreach
(208) 323-0482 ext. 14
Dallas Leatham
VP Operations
(208) 323-0482 ext. 11
Corby Goade
VP Sports and Training
(208) 323-0482 ext 22
Della Ourada
Finance Director
(208) 323-0482 ext. 20
Amy Eisle
LETR State Manager
(208) 323-0482 ext. 18
Aaron Olson
Communications Intern
(208) 323-0482
Kelly Brown
Intern
(208) 323-0482
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