Special Olympics Connecticut

HEALTHY ATHLETES? offerings at our 2024 Unified Sports? Holiday Classic this weekend! Through our Special Olympics Healthy Athletes? program: STRONG MINDS will be offered to athletes at basketball at the Quinnipiac University Rec Center on Saturday, November 23rd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and SPECIAL SMILES and Injury Prevention Education will be offered at the same venue on Sunday, November 24th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, SPECIAL SMILES and INJURY PREVENTION EDUCATION will be offered at volleyball at the JCC of Greater New Haven on Saturday, November 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These all aim to support the well-being and health of athletes through a combination of mental health, dental care and injury prevention education. #wellnesswednesday #soct #choosetoinclude #inclusivehealth #health

Our annual Unified Champion Schools Youth Leadership Summit for high school and middle school teammates and coaches who are involved in the Special Olympics Unified Sports? program at their schools took place at Rocky Hill High School last Thursday. The event had more than 500 attendees representing 60 schools from across the state. The event included teambuilding activities, a We Be-leaf in Inclusion activity and Be the I in Inclusion photo opp. A breakout session was also offered for Unified Sports? coaches. Students from Coginchaug High School who participated in a Special Olympics exchange experience with students who participate in Unified Sports in Panama talked about their experience learning the culture and playing Unified in Panama. Inspirational guest speakers included Ed Gerety who opened students' eyes to a new way of presenting themselves to their peers and talked about the importance of compassion, kindness and empathy. Phil Shenkman, an advocate for individuals with disabilities, spoke about his path to becoming a sports manager and encouraged the students to surround themselves with people who can help them be the best version of themselves. The Summit was presented through our partnership with the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and made possible through the generosity of sponsors the Connecticut Elks Association, ESPN, Hoffman Auto Group, the Hometown Foundation and the Club Management Association of America - Connecticut Chapter. Photos by volunteer Chad Lyons. #soct #teammatetuesday #specialolympics #sports #choostoinclude

Our annual Unified Sports? Holiday Classic, presented by the Connecticut Elks Association, will take place on Saturday, November 23rd and Sunday, November 24th. Spectators will be welcome at all venues. Sports, locations and times include: BOWLING at Bowlero, 1717 Boston Post Road, Milford and AMF Circle Lanes, 525 Main Street, East Haven 2 sessions each day - singles on Saturday and teams and doubles on Sunday Opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., competition from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. UNIFIED SPORTS? BASKETBALL at Quinnipiac University, 275 Mount Carmel Avenue in Hamden on Saturday and Sunday Opening ceremony at 10:15 a.m. and competition from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. POWERLIFTING at Gleason Performance Training at 108 Central Street in Ansonia on Saturday Opening ceremony at 10:15 a.m., competition from 10:30?a.m.to?2 p.m. UNIFIED SPORTS? VOLLEYBALL at the JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road in Woodbridge on Saturday Opening ceremony at 8:45 a.m. and competition from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. HEALTHY ATHLETES? Through our Special Olympics Healthy Athletes? program, Strong Minds will be offered to athletes at basketball at the Quinnipiac University Rec Center on Saturday, November 23rd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Special Smiles and Injury Prevention Education will be offered at the same venue on Sunday, November 24th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, Special Smiles and Injury Prevention Education will be offered at volleyball at the JCC of Greater New Haven on Saturday, November 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These all aim to support the well-being and health of athletes through a combination of mental health, dental care and injury prevention education. In addition to Presenting Sponsor, the Connecticut Elks Association, sponsors of the event include: Gold Sponsors: Comcast and NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut, the JCC of Greater New Haven, LAZ Parking Charitable Foundation, Liberty Bank and Quinnipiac University; Silver Sponsor: BBFG Community Giving - the Bonfire Grill, Bridge House Restaurant and Founder's House; Bronze Sponsors: Synchrony, Webster Bank and the Nicholas and Karen Zoccoli Family Charitable Fund; Contributing Sponsors: Bigelow Tea, RC Autism Advocates and the Rotary Club of Devon; Media Sponsors: iHeart Connecticut Media Group, Hearst Connecticut Media Group and NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut. Year-Round Partner Sponsors: Bozzuto's Inc, the Connecticut Elks Association, Enterprise, ESPN, Eversource, the Hometown Foundation, the Knights of Columbus, the Connecticut Law Enforcement Torch Run, NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut, Pratt & Whitney, Webster Bank and WWE. The Special Olympics Unified Sports? program brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team to promote acceptance, opportunity and inclusion for all. #soct #soctgames #choosetoinclude

A group of dedicated SOCT Global Messengers gathered at the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference offices in Cheshire last week to participate in a "Night of Thanks." During the event, they wrote thank you cards to generous individuals who give their time, money and resources to our organization. We appreciate the Global Messengers' efforts and hope the cards they signed and sent are little reminders of the very big impact our donors have on the lives of our athletes! #thankfulthursday #soct #ChooseToInclude

Our fall Athlete Leadership Training Day was held at Yale West Campus and had more than 100 participants - including 47 Global Messengers and their mentors, guest speakers and volunteers from Synchrony, a sponsor of our Athlete Leadership Program. It was an inspiring, energized, meaningful and really fun event! The day kicked off with a presentation by Keynote Speaker Kelsey O'Connor entitled "Life Beyond Labels" which was part of The Sarah Bader Athlete Leadership Speaker Series. Breakout sessions that followed were led by Kelsey and Synchrony's Scott Berry who spoke to the Global Messengers about managing their money. General sessions were presented by Officer Heather McClelland and K9 Officer Chase from the Groton Town Police Department and Officer Eric Fredricks and K9 Officer Hodges from the Waterford Police Department who talked about service to the community and SOCT's Health Staff Members Angie D'Amico and Chaslynn Saucier who discussed the role of the Special Olympics Fitness Captain. Additional highlights included special recognition and thanks to WFSB's Renee DiNino, accompanied by her pup Wolfie, and Global Messenger Alexandra Frumin leading the group in an upbeat, uplifting Zumba workout! Global Messengers receive year-round leadership training and opportunities for growth and enrichment and serve as spokespersons and ambassadors for Special Olympics Connecticut. To have a Global Messenger speak to your group/at your next event, click here: https://lnkd.in/gjrWtCgE Thanks to volunteer Chad Lyons for the photos! #soct #choosetoinclude #leadership #inclusivehealth #wellnesswednesday

The annual SmileMile walk and Cornhole Tournament for Special Olympics Connecticut took place at the University of Connecticut's Storrs campus on Saturday. Throughout the day, athletes, families, students and members of the UCONN Community Outreach Committee enjoyed a day of fun activities and celebrating inclusion and friendship. SmileMile is a one-mile walk for the Spread the Word Inclusion campaign in honor of Jeffny Pally, who was a UConn student, and the cornhole tournament, an energized test of aim and skill - all to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. SOCT Athlete and Global Messenger Nick Sinacori and SOCT's Marc Marcadante, Derrick Ford and Christy Miller were on hand for the events and thank everyone for making it a big success! UConn Community Outreach #soct #UConn #ChooseToInclude

Thank you to members of the University of Hartford women's and men's basketball teams for hosting a Basketball Jamboree for our athletes yesterday! The UHart basketball players partnered with athletes from our Special Olympics Farmington Valley team for warm-ups, skill drills and scrimmages. New friendships were formed and everyone had a super fun time! Photos courtesy of Hannah Everidge, MBA / University of Hartford #soct #choosetoinclude #basketball #collegeathletes

We remember and honor all veterans today. Thank you for your sacrifice and service! #soct #VeteransDay #Veterans #ChooseToInclude #specialolympics

Volunteer at our Unified Sports? Holiday Classic! Sign up to help out at our Holiday Classic bowling competition at AMF Bowling Co. in East Haven, Saturday, November 23rd or Sunday, November 24th. You can volunteer during the morning session and/or afternoon session. Just scan the QR code or go to https://lnkd.in/eABT526C to register now! Inviting family members and friends to join you is encouraged! #soct #soctgames #choosetoinclude #volunteer #specialolympics #bowling #easthaven

Helping our champions improve their health and wellness so they can perform their best in sports and in life is always our goal. To help accomplish this, we partnered with the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University to host our 2024 Fall MedFest event at the University's medical school in North Haven on October 24th. During the event, medical, physical therapy, and occupational therapy students volunteered their time to ensure that 23 of our athletes received the sports physicals they need to participate in Special Olympics' sports training and competitions. MedFest not only provided our athletes with an opportunity to receive a physical exam, it also offered the students an opportunity to receive hands-on training on how to treat individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Photos by Volunteer Norbert Herzog #soct #choosetoinclude #InclusiveHealth #health #specialolympics