In this issue

Enjoying the summer sun -Team Canada athletes enjoy the lakeside views in downtown Toronto before the training camp's opening ceremony

FEATURES
Oh what a night!
Team Canada kicks off its training camp in style
JYSK Canada -A fan of Special Olympics
Monthlong campaign already a hit with customers
Bowling with Dougy, Cuddy and a few friends
The world of sports and entertainment come together in support of Special Olympics Canada Foundation
motionball powers into Toronto and Vancouver
Marathon of Sport raises $119,000 for Special Olympics Canada Foundation
newsbytes
Strength through partnership / Sharing the dream
Hero for the day
STAPLES Business Depot's annual softball tournament scores a home run

COLUMNS
ATHLETE PROFILE: Jason Walker & John Barrett

REGULAR DEPARTMENTS
Upcoming Events - Donations - Contact Us - Chapter Links - Archives

Oh what a night!

A wave of red rolled into The Westin Harbour Castle in downtown Toronto on Thursday, July 10 as Team Canada's athletes, coaches and mission staff were honoured among friends and supporters with a fitting celebration on the eve of their training camp.

Special Olympics Canada would like to acknowledge the tremendous support of The Canadian Progress Charitable Foundation. Represented by Janey Davies (pictured above centre), who is also a member of SOC’s board of directors, The Canadian Progress Charitable Foundation was the sponsor of the three and half-day intensive training camp.

TSN's Vic Rauter, a generous friend of SOC, and Team Canada figure skater Zane Salera-Nasra shared hosting duties of the opening ceremony. Highlights included a rousing entrance by the national team, who were accompanied by members of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and of the Flame of Hope, brought in by Barb Gesualdo of the Toronto Police Service and accompanied by alpine skier David Boudreau, cross-country skier Eileen Ramsay, bagpiper and ceremonial guard; and the announcement of the team's official logo, which was created by the team at Grey Canada, one of SOC’s communications sponsors. Under “heavy police escort” Martin Fingerhut, a member of SOC’s board of directors, delivered the high-anticipated voting results to Grey's art director, Evan Young.

Enjoy these photos. More to follow in next month’s post.

JYSK Canada –A fan of Special Olympics

JYSK Canada kicked off its “Be a fan™: Donate, Coach, Compete” campaign at its 36 locations across Canada earlier this month. The leading home furnishings retailer will run the campaign throughout the month of July, both in-store and online. Customers will be encouraged to donate to Special Olympics, with those donating $10 or more receiving a Special Olympics Beanie Baby™, while quantities last.

From BBQs in Stoney Creek and Kingston, Ontario to athlete visits across the country, JYSK store managers are busy organizing additional events throughout the month to raise awareness and funds. In the first ten days of the campaign, more than $20,000 has been raised so far.

Special Olympics Canada would like to recognize and thank COO Pablo Reich and his team of enthusiastic store managers and associates for their stellar efforts.

Figure skater Kevin Nadon (pictured above) meets JYSK Boisbriand store manager Dominique Pelletier and her team of associates on campaign launch day. The Boisbriand store is also organizing an outdoor BBQ for customers on July 9. The 22-year old has been involved with Special Olympics for 12 years.

Bowling with Dougy, Cuddy and Friends

Two heavyweights from the world of Canadian sport and music came together in June to headline a unique fundraising event that generated buzz and support for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. Former Leafs Doug Gilmour and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy hosted the 5th annual Dougy, Cuddy and Friends Celebrity Bowl at Playtime Bowl in Toronto that saw almost 300 bowlers, including a who’s who of sports, entertainment and music as well as Special Olympics athletes, raise $100,000.

Special Olympics Canada Foundation would like to thank Doug Gilmour, Jim Cuddy and the team at Mainstreet Marketing for their incredible support of Canadians with an intellectual disability.

CTV and TSN sportscaster Rod Black hams it up with Arthur Rea, Special Olympics Canada board member and athlete

Canadian Forces troops, now home from a recent tour of duty in Afghanistan, and a young admirer join Special Olympic athletes Adam Whaley (centre) and Arthur Rea (second from right)
Iconic Canadian rocker Tom Cochrane with team-mate, Tony Erlich

motionball powers into Toronto and Vancouver

Under brilliant blue and sunny skies in Toronto and Vancouver, one of motionball’s marquee events, Marathon of Sports, rolled out over two separate weekends in late May, raising more than $119,000 for the Special Olympics Canada Foundation. Now in it sixth year in Toronto, the full-day sporting competition celebrated a sophomore run in Vancouver and welcomed Sun Life Financial as title sponsor for the first time.


Young professionals teamed up with Special Olympics athletes and volunteers for a high-energy day of sport competitions that included bocce, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, soccer, flag football, floor hockey and basketball. In Toronto, the action unfolded at Havergal College while in Vancouver, EA Sports Complex was the official venue.

Like other motionball events, Marathon of Sports brings together the next generation of Special Olympics donors, volunteers and sponsors in Canada through integrated events. The brainchild of the Etherington brothers – Mark, Paul and Sean – motionball has raised more than $1.1 million since it launched its first gala event six years ago.

Other motionball events on the calendar this year: the Fall Classic Golf Tournament at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, home of the 2008 and 2009 Canadian Open and the annual Football Frenzy Flag Football Tournament, hosted by CFL’s Toronto Argonauts at the Rogers Centre.

newsbytes

Santé -The Red Bull 381 Projects Gallery in Toronto’s Queen West district is billed as “a platform to engage and gather creative minds to collaborate and broaden passions”. For one special evening in June, it also was a gathering place for sponsors of the Special Olympics Festival, both new and longtime, who also register high in both creativity and passion.

On the rooftop patio, above one of the city’s most eclectic neighbourhoods, these honoured guests were treated to an exclusive wine tasting by Vincor Canada. Sommelier Elsa MacDonald paired wines with seasonal delights from caterer Daniel & Daniel. Keith Pelley, Festival chair and Emily Boycott (pictured above with her dad, David), gold medal winner at the 2007 World Summer Games delivered remarks as emcee and keynote speaker, respectively.

Special Olympics festival would like to thank Jay Wright of Vincor Canada as well as Andrew Bulmer and Red Bull Canada for their contributions to the evening’s success.

From left to right: Andrew Bulmer, Red Bull Canada; Keith Pelley, CTV-Rogers Olympic Consortium and chair of the Special Olympics Festival; Jay Wright, Vincor Canada; David Garard, Garard Benefit Consultants Inc.

Strength through partnership -The Canadian Coaching Association welcomed nearly 100 partners to Ottawa in June for the National Coaching Certification Program Partners’ Day, at which Special Olympics Canada had an important role. Christina Campbell, a rhythmic gymnast and STAPLES’ associate and the Boise-bound duo of figure skater Kyle Mayhew and snowshoer Rob McLellan were on-hand to welcome delegates at a breakfast sponsored by SOC.

Special Olympics Canada also received special recognition for achieving final approval from the National Coaching Certification Program for the Special Olympics Community Sport Initiative, a move that transitioned coach training from a previous program.

Special Olympics Canada has a thriving relationship with the CAC, initiated more than twenty years ago when the first Special Olympics coach education courses were entered into the NCCP database. Since then, coach education remains at the core of the partnership and the number of Special Olympics volunteer coaches in Canada has swelled to more than 10,300 with SOC set on increasing that number by 9 per cent each year until 2012.

Sharing the dream -Erin Roy realized a dream when she carried the Olympic torch in the city of Shangri-la, China last month in honour of her uncle, the late Det. Constable Robert Plunkett.

Roy was one of three finalists of an online contest organized by Lenovo, Special Olympics Canada’s sponsor and also designer of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch, who ran a leg of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, billed as the longest ever relay in the history of the Olympics. Her essay, chosen from more than 6,000, secured her a spot in a group of 18 finalists, who were then asked to produce a 30-second video that the general public voted on.

The wife and mother of two, who is also a financial advisor, dedicated the run to the memory of her late uncle who was killed in the line of duty in August 2007. York Region Det. Constable Robert Plunkett was a 22-year veteran of the force and an avid Special Olympics volunteer who was involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for more than 15 years. LETR has raised over three million dollars for Special Olympics Canada.

Hero for the day

Special Olympics Canada is fortunate to draw upon a tremendous network of sponsors and supporters through whom critical funds are secured to sustain quality programs and offset the inherent costs. Beyond the critical dollars, relationships can often develop between a company’s employees and Special Olympics athletes; nurturing and positive, these can have a profound impact on employees and athletes alike.

Read on for some thoughts from Matt Hoegg and Ted Rivers, general managers with STAPLES Business Depot, about STAPLES' softball tournament held in Burnaby, British Columbia last month. An annual tradition, the tournament sees Special Olympics athletes taking part in the fun, and while the sense of competition is palpable, one thing is also abundantly clear: all are unified in their enjoyment of the game and in their respect for one another.

“When I phoned ahead to find out how we did, I was told we lost 15-0!! Apparently not only did we not score, but our opponent got maximum runs in each innings. When I arrived, I expected to find a dejected crew, bitter from such a defeat. This was not the case. All I saw was 10 STAPLES’ employees and six Special Olympics athletes grinning from ear to ear. While we went on to lose our final two games, what stuck with each and every one of us was the weather, the food, the fun and the friendships made. It made me proud to work for STAPLES and even more proud to be associated with such a wonderful charity as Special Olympics.” – MATT HOEGG

“Every year when the Special Olympics Ball Tournament comes around I look forward to an inspiring day. Today was no different. … If you ever need to know why it’s important that we support Special Olympics I want to share the story of Sean with you. He was playing with the team from (store) #176. He is not as physically coordinated as many of the others … but he is trying his best. He is up at bat in a tie game, with two outs and the bases are loaded. After receiving the first few pitches he connects with a line drive between first and second base. Off he runs to first, driving in the go ahead runs. Hearing the cheers from his team and supporters and seeing that smile on Sean, I realized that he got a chance to ‘hero for the day’. This was his moment in the spotlight. …. what a moment. Sometimes in retail it is difficult to find the “meaning in what we do. This was a great way to connect the dots. “ – TED RIVERS