July 2016

Exercise Enthusiasts, Athletes Pull Together

A lot of respect was earned, friendships were made and more than $41,000 was raised as 722 CrossFit and Special Olympics athletes cheered each other on in the first statewide Row Raiser.


	Row Raiser participants cheer on a Special Olympics athlete as he completes in the marathon event in Quincy

The Row Raiser featured teams of 10 working together to go the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) on a rowing machine on July 9.

Row Raiser was the brainchild of CrossFit athlete Sam Dancer of Quincy. It started in 2015 with just the Quincy location and expanded to 11 locations around the state this year and included participants around the world through a remote location option to get involved. View Row Raiser photos from around the state.

What began as a typically competitive CrossFit workout at many locations became more about having fun with the Special Olympics athletes competing on their teams. Read More

Texas Roadhouse Benefit Lunch Set for End of July

Texas Roadhouse restaurants will once again be teaming up with local law enforcement officers to host the 6th Annual Texas Roadhouse Benefit Lunch for Special Olympics Illinois. Local officers will serve a "free" lunch of a limited menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on either Thursday, July 28, or Friday, July 29.

Both dine in and carry out will be available at all 15 Texas Roadhouse locations in Illinois. July 28 locations include: Champaign, Decatur, Edwardsville, Shiloh (O'Fallon) and Springfield. July 29 locations include: Bradley, Countryside, Crystal Lake, DeKalb, East Peoria, Joliet, Naperville, Quincy, Rockford and Tinley Park. Click here to download the event flier.

This exclusive lunch includes a pulled pork sandwich, corn, freshly baked bread with honey-cinnamon butter and a non-alcoholic beverage. Diners are simply asked to leave a donation for their meal with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois! This Texas Roadhouse Benefit Lunch is part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which is the single largest year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.

Help spread the word for a chance to win dinner for 2 at Texas Roadhouse. Diners should simply snap a photo from their local Texas Roadhouse Benefit Lunch and tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram by using the hashtag #iGotServed.

Thank you to our event sponsors: Texas Roadhouse, Coca-Cola and Shop 'n Save.

Vote Online and Help SOILL Win MLS Contest

Major League Soccer and Wells Fargo are recognizing individuals who use soccer as a tool to make a difference. Each MLS club has selected an individual to represent their

markets as a Community MVP finalist.

Jen Marcello, Director of Young Athletes & Unified Schools, has been chosen to represent the Chicago Fire as the local winner for the 2016 MLS WORKS Community MVP Contest presented by Wells Fargo. She is competing against the other 19 MSL club representatives for the grand prize of $10,000 to benefit Special Olympics Illinois!

Help Special Olympics Illinois win the grand prize by voting as many times as you like through 3 p.m. CDT Thursday, July 28, online at mlssoccer.com/communitymvp or via Twitter. The grand prize winner will be announced at half-time of the MLS All-Star Game on July 28.

Join Us Aug. 4 in Chicago for the Ducky Derby

Come on downtown and have a quacking good time on Aug. 4. Join Special Olympics Illinois for the 11th Annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby.

Thousands of yellow rubber duckies will race down the Chicago River to the finish line where Duck Ambassador Allie Reninger will be waiting to pluck the winning duck! The first-place finisher wins a brand new 2016 Chevy Malibu, courtesy of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers.

Stop by before Splashdown to experience entertainment for the whole family! Enjoy games, have your face painted and make sure to snap a picture with the Ducky Derby mascot Splash! Race Day kicks off at 10 a.m. at 400 N. Michigan Ave. There is currently construction in the area near the Ducky Derby location that will impact this year's festival area. Read more.

You can adopt a duck at the festival or online here. Ducks are $5 each or get one free by purchasing a Quack Pack - that's 6 ducks for $25! Other packages include a Flock of Ducks (24 ducks for $100) or a Diamond Duck Pack (240 entries for $1,000). All proceeds from the Ducky Derby benefit athletes of Special Olympics and the mission to create inclusion, encourage confidence and create a community for people with intellectual disabilities to thrive and succeed in sport and life.

Last year's Ducky Derby saw nearly 54,000 ducks adopted and raised more than $300,000. Check out what a splish-splashing good time the 2015 Ducky Derby was and view 2016 Ducky Derby video. To learn more about the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby, please visit www.chicagoduckrace.com.

2nd Annual ButterBurgers & Badges

On Tuesday, Aug. 9, law enforcement officers will partner with their local Culver's restaurants to host the 2nd annual LETR ButterBurgers & Badges Tip A Cop event from 4 to 8 p.m. at participating locations.

That evening, officers and Special Olympics athletes will volunteer their time as "Celebrity Servers" and collect tips to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. In addition, $1 from every Concrete Mixer sold that evening will be donated to Special Olympics Illinois!

ButterBurgers & Badges is part of a month-long partnership between Special Olympics Illinois and participating Culver's restaurants. During the month of August, Culver's locations will display a Change for Champions collection poster featuring Zion Police Officer Dave Grinhaug and SOILL athlete Mallory Marvin and collect donations from patrons to benefit their local programs.

For more information on this event, click here .

Golf Outing's Guest Illustrates Success of Sports

On June 27, Special Olympics Illinois' Foundation Board held its 2nd Annual Foundation Golf Outing at Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette.


	Special Olympics athlete Susie Doyens and her Unified Golf partner Tom Reasoner

The sold-out event, which raised $107,000 to support the organization's Foundation, was organized by a committee chaired by Tony Coletta of Prudential Capital Group. Thirty teams of four - mainly from Chicagoland businesses - enjoyed a beautiful day on this outstanding course. View photos from the event.

Throughout the day, golfers had the opportunity to meet and socialize with SOILL athletes Ela Stoklosa and Kyle Tuckey. Special guest Susie Doyens, a former SOILL athlete who currently lives and competes in Florida, golfed with her Unified golf partner Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Assistant Director Tom Reasoner.

Susie also spoke at the dinner reception about how Special Olympics has transformed her life. Read More

Illinois LETR Expands Plane Pull Fundraiser

The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Illinois has added a second Plane Pull to its fundraising arsenal in 2016. LETR has partnered with the Southern Illinois University School of Aviation to host the inaugural Southern Illinois Plane Pull on Sept. 24 at the Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro.

The Plane Pull features the ultimate man vs. machine battle as teams of up to 8 play tug-of-war with SIU Aviation's 737, weighing nearly 60,000 lbs. Each participant must raise a minimum of $50 and teams can have up to 8 members ($400 for a team of 8). Teams will compete by pulling the aircraft 12 feet as quickly as possible awards are given to the fastest pull in each division, fastest pull overall, top fundraiser and top fundraising team.

Meanwhile, Illinois LETR will return to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to host the 8th Annual Plane Pull on Sept. 10. The O'Hare Plane Pull features teams of up to 20 battle a UPS Airbus A300 or United Airlines 737, weighing nearly 180,000 lbs. Each team must raise a minimum of $1,000 to participate (only $50 per person for a team of 20).

All proceeds collected through each Plane Pull benefit the more than 22,000 athletes and more than 20,000 Young Athletes currently participating with Special Olympics Illinois. For more information or to register to pull for Special Olympics, visit www.illinoisplanepull.com.

Global Messenger Training Slated for October

Athletes, do you have a passion for sport? For Special Olympics? Would you like to share your stories with others so that they might become more aware and more engaged with Special Olympics?


	Kaylee McLaughlin

There are currently more than 100 athletes in Illinois who serve as Global Messengers, ambassadors, leaders of the movement. In 2015, this group made 345 presentations. These athletes/Global Messengers are telling audiences and journalists about the remarkable changes that Special Olympics helped bring to their lives.

Special Olympics Illinois will be hosting a training for athletes interested in becoming a part of the Athlete Leadership Program on Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 1-2, at the Special Olympics Illinois Headquarters in Normal. The only requirements for participation are that each athlete have a valid medical form on file and have a mentor or speech coach who is willing to attend the training with them and assist them as needed for presentations that they wish to do. These mentors will also need to complete the Class A volunteer process. Read More

NELARUSKY Celebrating Its 10th Year

Celebrating its 10th year, NELARUSKY has become one of the premier launch parties for Chicago's Lollapalooza.

An official Lollapalooza Aftershow, the event features Marrow, Wild Child and City & Colour (solo) at Metro on July 26. Since its launch, the event has featured bands including Imagine Dragons, Icona Pop and Alabama Shakes. Event organizer Lauren McClusky is expecting a sold-out show and all proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Illinois.

Enter to win a pair of tickets to NELARUSKY by downloading the Do312 App here and adding NELARUSKY to your calendar.