Farm Kings and GAC Help Special Olympics…and you can too! Tune-in Tonight (8/15/13)!

In tonight’s episode of Farm Kings on the Great American Country network, Mom Lisa King, decides to hold an event for young girls with special needs. Freedom Farms, Special Olympics Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania contestants of Miss America team up to host an event at the King’s home market.

Here’s how you can help: Check in to Farm Kings on GetGlue.com to “Collect the Kings” and unlock this week’s sticker, Ben King.

When you check in tonight (Thursday, August 15^th) between 8 p.m.-1 a.m. ET, you’ll also get a bonus Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) sticker. For each Ben King/SOPA sticker combo unlocked, GAC will donate $1 to Special Olympics PA (up to $5,000)!

The King family, owns Freedom Farms, located in Butler PA. Ben King, the youngest member of the King family, has Down Syndrome - he will turn 13 years old on August 24th.

Please tune-in tonight and unlock the combo Ben/SOPA stickers! You can check in to the get glue sticker via the Farm Kings page at: www.getglue.com or through the get glue widget at www.gactv.com/farmkings.

For more information, visit http://blog.gactv.com/blog/2013/08/14/farm-kings-gac-help-special-olympics-you-can-too/

Special Olympics PA - Adams County Golf Invitational

The Adams County program will be holding its annual Golf Invitational on Saturday, August 24, 2013 at South Hills Golf Club in Hanover, PA.

Registration will be open from 9:30am-10:15am with Opening Ceremonies beginning at 10:15am. Participants will be shuttled to the golf course around 12:30pm for a 1pm shot gun start.

Entries will be accepted until August 16th, unless positions are filled sooner.  Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

 

For more information, or to register for the Golf Invitational, please e-mail Deb Carpenter at  7carp7@gmail.com  or Lynn Weaver at lweaver46@embargmail.com.

 

Freedom Farms’ Born Beautiful Pageant

A local farm in Butler, PA stars on a cable television show called “Farm Kings.”  As the stars of a docu-reality series on The Great American Country (GACtv) Network, the Farm Kings hope to bring an awareness to the country about food, family and hard work.  However, episodes also include stories about the youngest son named Ben who has Down Syndrome.  Each year the farm and show have featured an event to benefit Special Olympics – Butler County.  This year, they held a Born Beautiful Pageant that included Butler athletes and Beauty Competition winners from across the state, including Miss Pennsylvania.  This unique fundraising event was a great opportunity for our athletes to show their true beauty and spread the word about Special Olympics.  The show aired on the GACtv in select communities.  A wonderful time was had bad all!

 

 

"Burrow Thunder" Benefits DuBois/Jefferson County Program

 
The Punxsutawney Eagle Riders No.1231 motorcycle club held its annual "Burrow Thunder" on Saturday July 6, 2013 to benefit the Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s (SOPA) DuBois/Jefferson County program.

The event, held in conjunction with the 2013 Punxsutawney Groundhog Festival, took place at the Punxsy Eagles parking lot where a bike show was held.  Nearly 140 event riders traveled 135 miles, making four stops along the way.  There was also a silent auction, refreshments and a dance featuring the band Against the Grain.

In the weeks to follow, Eagle Rider Club President Denny Knox presented SOPA local program manager Stacey Truman with a check for $15,000. Former SOPA Board member, Jim Burton, was present for the check presentation and has been instrumental in the planning and promotion of “Burrow Thunder.” Eagle Riders’ goal for next year is to include more clubs in Western PA, which will benefit more Special Olympics programs in the region.

Wawa Supports Special Olympics PA!

Executives from Wawa, Inc. participated in a Unified Bocce exhibition on June 20^th at Wawa University with athletes and coaches from SOPA’s Delaware County program. The exhibition was an opportunity for Special Olympics PA athletes to engage and connect with leadership from Wawa about the impact of the movement and the power of their generosity.

 

In addition, as part of the “Support the Home Team” campaign, Wawa, Inc. is supporting Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) this summer and extending into 2014 by funding the participation of Pennsylvania athletes at the Special Olympics National Games in New Jersey next June. SOPA will be one of the beneficiaries of a Wawa Coin Canister Campaign which began on July 7th and will run for 11 weeks. Also, a Counter Top Display Campaign will start on July 23^rd and run for two weeks. All of this is merely a prelude to similar campaigns that will happen in early 2014 - all with the goal of underwriting the cost of National Games participation for all Team PA athletes. SOPA is scheduled to send more than 230 athletes to National Games, a record-sized delegation for the state. So please visit a Wawa near you frequently this summer and “Support the Home Team!”

A Beautiful Day to Compete!

It was a beautiful day for the 34^th Annual DuBois/Jefferson County Special Olympics Day on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.  Athletes, coaches and volunteers from seven area schools and centers participated in track and field events and enjoyed other activities throughout the day.    In addition to great competition, the event honored DuBois Area High School Life Skills teacher, Frank Hetrick, who served as Master of Ceremonies for more than 30 years of service to Special Olympics.  Mr. Hetrick will be retiring from the school district.  The DuBois/Jefferson program also sported its new logo on uniforms for this event.

SOPA and Philadelphia School District Partner for Unified Sports

Unified Soccer Championship Filmed by PSTV, the Public Educational Channel for the School District of Philadelphia

On Friday, May 31, 2013, Special Olympics Pennsylvania's Philadelphia program partnered with the School District of Philadelphia for an inaugural Unified Soccer Championship held at Frankford Memorial Stadium in Philadelphia. Opening Ceremonies were hosted by Veteran Philadelphia Sports Broadcaster Don Tollefson.

The Championship featured teams from 10 Philadelphia high schools from across the city including: Abraham Lincoln, Edward Bok, Frankford, George Washington, High School of the Future, Northeast, Samuel Fels, Thomas Edison, Boy's Latin and University City High School. Approximately 100 athletes culminated months of preparation for these Unified Games and displayed the "best of the best" during the competition.

The United States Department of Education (DOE) released new guidance to schools and school systems throughout the nation that receive federal aid about the requirements of providing quality sports opportunities for students with disabilities on January 25, 2013. Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive sports program that puts athletes with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. This first ever rostered Unified Soccer elective course, developed in partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and Special Olympics Pennsylvania, includes curriculum with youth leadership components, anti-bullying elements and soccer training and competition.  The course provides greater access to sports for all students, with and without disabilities. 

Attending the event were special guests from Special Olympics International; Pennsylvania elected and appointed officials; City Council members; dignitaries including Dr. William R. Hite Jr., Superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia and Pedro A. Ramos, Esq., Chairman of the School Reform Commission; and administrators and staff from both the Philadelphia School District and Special Olympics Pennsylvania.