Every year, courageous Treasure Valley Residents flock to the Meridian Wal-Mart to take the "Penguin Plunge" into a pool filled with ice water; really... we add bags of ice. This event makes tremendous strides to raise awareness and funding for Special Olympics Idaho and you can be a part of it! Unlike the Power Plungers (see below), you only have to jump in once then; you can sit in the hot tub or warming tents while enjoying a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. If a cold swim doesn't sound good, you can pledge a friend to do it. This year's plunge will be on January 17, 2009 with registration at 11am. The Penguin Plunge is a very important fundraiser for Special Olympics Idaho and is expected to raise $30,000.
 
To take the Penguin Plunge:
 
Step 1: Register. It's easy! Go to www.idso.org and click on the Penguin Plunge logo. It will take you to our online registration site. You can create teams too! Just make sure each person on your team registers.
 
Step 2: Collect Pledges. Go out and ask for pledges from family, friends, neighbors or co-workers. You can also create your own online fundraising site. Visit www.firstgiving.com/idso and click "Get Started." Then e-mail your friends and family asking them to support you by donating to your personal fundraising webpage. It is easy and fast! All donations from the web go directly to Special Olympics Idaho. All other pledges must be collected before the plunge and brought with you to the Plunge registration/ check-in.
 
Step 3: Jump in! Take a swim knowing that you've made a difference in the lives of people in Idaho.

 

All Penguin Plunge participants will receive a free t-shirt. Other prizes will be awarded to the individuals/ teams who meet the fundraising benchmarks of $250+, $500+, $750+, and $1000+.

 

Earlier this month, Hubble Homes made a very generous donation to Special Olympics Idaho: the furnishings from 8 of their model homes. The furniture includes everything from artwork, to beds and couches, to end tables and book shelves. There is a TON of stuff!
 
We will be auctioning everything off at the Meridian Wal-Mart on January 17, 2009 in conjunction with our annual Penguin Plunge Fundraiser. You will be able to get the home furnishings you need while helping people with intellectual disabilities in Idaho. Come down to watch people jump into an ice-water pool (or jump in yourself-see above) and stay to bid on all kinds of great items for your home.

 

For the third year in a row, four brave souls will be testing their endurance and chutzpah as the "Power Plungers" of the 2009 Penguin Plunge. Cory Mikels, Lance Sellers, Mike Meyers, and one yet-to-be-identified Meridian Police Officer will be jumping into an ice-water filled pool once every hour for 48 hours straight... in the middle of January! This will be the third year in a row that these men have subjected themselves to a weekend of no sleep and frigid shock treatments to raise awareness and funding for Special Olympics Idaho. Local businesses sponsor an "Hour of Power" to keep these guys jumping into the pool. An "Hour of Power" is probably an accurate description as; we literally add bags of ice to the pool to make sure it really is ice-cold.

Hard copies of the new education initiative and curriculum titled, In a World of Differences, Make a Difference have already been distributed to schools in Idaho. On January 5, 2009, the K-12 curriculum, along with many other additional resources, will be available online.
 
The education initiative and curriculum have been developed to provide the tools and resources to teach about compassion, diversity, and respect as exemplified by the Special Olympics movement and the athletes. Research shows that only through direct experience with persons with intellectual disabilities do negative attitudes and behaviors change. This initiative provides that direct experience to Idaho students through assemblies, class sessions, and participation in Special Olympics events.
 
The online resources will include (in addition to the entire K-12 curriculum): videos, songs, poems, public service announcements, and supplemental lessons. A place where students and teachers can share there stories and experiences will also be available.
 
The materials will be available for download to anyone: educators, students, and the general public. After January 5th, you can access the site by going to www.idso.org/education or clicking the "education" link at the Special Olympics Idaho homepage.
 
For more information on the In a World of Differences, Make a Difference initiative, please contact

 

Shanna Endow, VP Volunteers and Outreach.
 

 

Are you living in the Boise area and looking for a meaningful new way to support Special Olympics Idaho and help people with intellectual disabilities in Idaho? Join Lions Club International's new Special Olympics-Oriented Club starting in January.
 
Lions Clubs International is starting a new chapter in Boise that is specific to helping Special Olympics Idaho. The new chapter will be active in raising funds, helping with athlete training and competition, and organizing new ways to help people with intellectual disabilities in Idaho.
 
Lions Clubs International's motto is, "We Serve." They are the world's largest service club organization with 1.3 million members in 45,000 clubs in 202 countries. The Lions participate in a variety of projects important to their communities from cleaning up parks to providing supplies to victims of natural disasters. Lions Club International is most known for efforts to end preventable blindness around the world.
 
Lions Clubs have been working with Special Olympics Idaho by providing free eye exams and glasses (if needed) to SOID athletes through the Special Olympics initiative, Healthy Athletes- Opening Eyes. The new Lions Club will continue providing this type of program while also having the freedom to create new events.
 
The first organizational meeting will be held in January- date TBA- when key leaders from Lions Club International visit Boise. Please check our website for details as they come.
 
For more information about the new Lions Club or to sign up today, please email the club at soidaholions@idaholions.org or SOID at Shanna Endow or call Shanna at (208) 323-0482 ext. 14.

 

This fall, the four Knights of Columbus councils in north Idaho raised nearly $6,000 with their annual Tootsie Roll Drive. The proceeds of the drive were split between Special Olympics Idaho and TESH, an organization that provides programs and activities for people with intellectual disabilities.  Ted Carneiro from the Knights looks forward to the Tootsie Roll Drive each year saying, "It uplifts me to see how generous people are.  They know the program and they want to help."  Over the past 40 years, the Knights of Columbus has raised and donated more than $382 million to programs for people with intellectual and physical disabilities.  The Knights'commitment to Special Olympics and to hundreds of grassroots programs for people with intellectual and physical disabilities is an expression of its belief in the intrinsic worth of every human being.  The Knights of Columbus have raised nearly $6,000 for Special Olympics Idaho this year.  We thank them for their on-going dedication and devotion to our mission and the people that we serve.  

 

University of Phoenix will be one of the sponsors of the State Winter Games to be held March 6-8, 2009 in McCall, Idaho.

 

As a leader in higher education and a member of the Treasure Valley community for more than seven years, University of Phoenix has made a very conscious effort to support organizations that share their core values where they feel they can make a difference. The faculty, staff and students have supported and helped a number of area elementary schools and non-profit organizations including the Komen Race for the Cure, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Special Olympics, to name just a few. 

 

University of Phoenix has degree programs at the Associates, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorial levels and offers a variety of degree programs in an online format or at campuses across the United States including the local campus in Meridian, Idaho. 

 

Mendi Murphy, a local representative with University of Phoenix Idaho had this to say about her time volunteering with Special Olympics Idaho:
 

"I had a great time volunteering at the bowling tournament in November.  I was so impressed with the level of organization Special Olympics Idaho demonstrated at the event.  It was a great way to spend a few hours of my Saturday.  The bowlers were so polite making sure I was comfortable keeping score and I loved to share in their excitement during the tournament.  It was nice to hear stories from many of them about the level of dedication that they put into the sport (and many other sports they compete in through Special Olympics Idaho as well.)  Many of the competitors practice weekly and it shows-they were so fun to watch.  They are great competitors.  Thank you for letting me lend a hand-I loved it!"

 

 

For every Special Olympics World Games, the athletes of Team USA meet at a training camp before the competition.

Early in December, the Idaho representatives for Team USA went to their training camp at Copper Mountain Resort, just outside of Denver, Colorado. More than 500 athletes are part of Team USA for the 2009 World Winter Games.

 

This training camp allowed athletes to:
           
            - Meet their coaches
            - Meet their teammates
            - Practice their events
            - Establish accurate qualifying times 

            - Try on their Team USA uniforms

            - Have a good time!
 
For more information about the training camp, including photo galleries starring some of our superstars, check out:
 
http://www.specialolympicsteamusa.org/

 

 

In Washington DC on December 3, 2008, Sports Illustrated honored Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver with the first-ever 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, this week's issue of Sports Illustrated includes a special feature on Special Olympics.  Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum takes a look back at the 40-year-history of the Special Olympics and the first Special Olympics Games in 1968.
 

 

Here in Idaho, we have quite an amazing delegation of athletes and coaches who will be representing us at the World Winter Games. We are sending snowboarders, snowshoers, downhill skiers, cross-country skiers and a floor hockey team.

 

The floor hockey coaches deserve a bit of special attention and thanks for a few reasons. For one, this is the first time that Special Olympics Idaho will send an entire team to compete at an international competition. They are also a Unified team, which means that the team not only has Special Olympics athletes competing on it, but also friends and family members who play right alongside them. Finally, the three coaches of this team have worked extremely hard to make sure that their athletes are safe, working hard, learning, and having a fantastic time. Trust me folks- coaching for world games is fun, but it's not a walk in the park!

 

These coaches have been putting in long hours, in addition to the time they devote to their jobs and families. We really should applaud them for their efforts in giving their athletes this once in a lifetime experience! The coaches for the Caldwell Wildcats are:
 
            -Terry Elordi     
            -Tony Elordi
            -Russell Watson
 
Thanks for your amazing dedication, coaches!
.

 

The Nordic Ski Lodge at Bogus Basin is revealing a new mural exhibit this season. The permanent exhibit was constructed with funds from a US Forest Service education grant and focuses on diversity both in the biosphere and in our own culture. Special Olympics is featured in one of the murals, adding a permanent reference to the Special Olympics movement and its efforts to promote diversity and inclusion.

 

Bogus Basin Ski Resort is now open so, go check it out!

Look for the Caldwell Wildcats in the grocery store or on the highway in January. The Wildcats will be seen in cardboard cut-outs in 150 grocery stores and 100 convenience stores in Idaho. They will also be on the backs of 20 Coca-Cola trucks as they drive down the road. KTVB's Larry Gebert will be at the Wildcats Floor Hockey practice on January 14, 2009 to do a live broadcast and to talk about the Coca-Cola promotion.
 
Coca-Cola has been a supporter of Special Olympics since 1968. All money generated from this promotion will go to support the 2009 World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho.