December 2011

Plunge for the Athletes

Join other cold-water plungers Feb. 18 for the Polar Plunge at Lanier World at Sunset Cove in raising money for Special Olympics Georgia athletes. All you have to do is register, use your tool kit to collect pledges and then PLUNGE. Prizes will be awarded to the best costume, highest fundraiser, highest fundraising team, and more! Relief from the cold will be provided: heated areas, warm concessions and fun souvenirs. Click here to get started!

P&G National BrandSaver 2012
It’s time again for our P&GbrandSAVER® program! P&G has been a valued partner of Special Olympics for over 30 years and we are thrilled to, once again, be a part of this valuable promotion. Keep an eye out for your P&GbrandSAVER® coupon books in your local newspaper on Sunday, January 1, 2012. This year’s promotion is based on coupon redemption: Special Olympics receives 3 cents for every coupon used. There is no limit to the gift, so the more you redeem the coupons or encourage your friends and family the greater the money raised for Special Olympics. And don’t forget
the savings for you — the P&GbrandSAVER® coupon book includes more than $109 in savings on many of your favorite brands! The coupons expire January 31, 2012, so don’t wait too long to start clipping and saving! This is a great opportunity to raise money for Special Olympics and to continue to spread our message of respect, acceptance and inclusion. To find your local newspaper that carries the P&GbrandSAVER® coupon book please click here.

For $12, you’ll get:
- a 2011 T-shirt
- a Torch Run window cling
     -and a collector’s 2011 Torch Run poker chip.

Contact
Danny.Knight@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

AT&T Promotion

Through January 7th, AT&T will make a $60 donation to Special Olympics for each online purchase made on eligible AT&T products and services through our partnership micro site, www.att.com/specialolympics or by taking this flyer into a AT&T company owned store. Eligible
products include U-Verse, DirecTV, U-Verse High Speed Internet, High Speed Internet, U-Verse voice service, Local Phone Service, New Wireless Service, and Contract Renewal for Wireless Service.

Knitted or Crocheted Scarves Are Still Needed 

Scarves are due Jan. 10. We have 550 now – looking for 2,400 – to give to athletes and volunteers. Size 6” wide by 4-5’ long in red and navy. For more information go to
www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org Or e-mail
Jennifer.Daniell@SpecialOlympicsGA.org for more details. Drop off points – Needle Nook, Whole Nine Yarns, Cast-On Cottage, and Barnes & Noble – Norcross.

Volunteer of the Month: Laura Ogas

Laura has dedicated herself to Special Olympics for many years and it is hard to count the many ways she’s contributed to SOGA.  She serves on the Dalton City/Whitfield County Special Olympics local management team as the volunteer director team member. She recruits, coordinates, recognizes, and manages all the volunteers for their area, and serves as the chairperson for the Area 1 (Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, Walker, and Whitfield counties) local management team. As the chairperson, she oversees the organization of all of those counties.

 And for the past couple of years, Laura has been an integral part of organizing  State Fall Games, which were held for the first time in Dalton in October. Laura’ helped secure, organize, and manage volunteers. And for most of 2011, Laura was spreading the word the community about  Fall Games and helping find more than 1,000 volunteers and helping to raise money for games. For the weekend of the games, Laura was up early and worked late coordinating volunteers and helping SOGA staff, GMT members, and everyone in between with whatever they needed. When issues arose at Games, Laura was one of the first people ready  to fix the issue. The 2011 Fall Games are considered by many to be our best one yet and Laura is one of the biggest reasons.

Thank you Laura for all that you do for Special Olympics Georgia and for your dedication to the Fall Games! You are truly a remarkable person and everyone at SOGA looks forward to the years to come!

You can nominate a Volunteer of the Month by contacting Leslie Anderson at  Leslie.Anderson@SpecialOlympicsGA.org for more information.

Volunteer Opportunities

Art Auction Committee Members

We are looking for volunteers to help plan and organize our annual Art Auction, no prior experience necessary. This is a fun and unique opportunity to participate in an exciting Special Olympics fundraiser! The Art Auction is  March 24, and will be held in a beautiful new  home in the metropolitan Atlanta area. If you are interested, please contact Debbie Palay at
Debbie.Palay@SpecialOlympicsGA.org or 770-414-9390 x 118. And please Save the Date and join us at the Art Auction.
Preview is at 7 and the auction begins at 8 p.m. with a silent auction, live music, spirits, and food.

State Indoor Winter Games, Marietta
January 20 – 22

Get out of the cold and volunteer for the INDOOR winter games. Over 1,500 SOGA athletes compete in basketball, bowling, power lifting, floor hockey, gymnastics and roller skating.

Polar Plunge, Lake Lanier,
February 18

Yep, there are people out there that are willing to plunge into the freezing cold waters of Lake Lanier. It’s all to benefit the SOGA athletes so lets show them some support. You’ll never see a more excited group of freezing individuals. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Leslie Anderson at
Leslie.Anderson@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

Sponsor of the Month: Publix Super Markets

Presenting Sponsor of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Publix Super Markets has helped to raise over $13 million since 1995 for Southeastern Special Olympics programs through icon sales. In Georgia alone over $2 million has been raised through our partnership. Founded in 1930, Publix Super Markets is
the largest and fastest –growing employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States. Publix and their associates excel in community involvement, volunteerism and a commitment to the market areas and beyond.

2011 proved to be another successful year for the Special Olympics partnership raising over $1.5 million throughout all stores. A supporter of Special Olympics in the Southeastern United States for over 35 years, Publix is represented at numerous Special Olympics Georgia competitions and events. They continually show their great enthusiasm and support year round and have an industry-leading history of hiring people with intellectual disabilities, many of whom participate in Special Olympics.

Publix Icons Coming Soon!

Publix  Super Markets is selling torch icons at all stores and at all register check-outs during the Jan. 5-25, 2012 promotion. Mark your January calendar to purchase a torch icon at any Publix Super
Markets during the first three weeks in January 2012 to support the Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics Georgia athletes.

 Be an Athlete’s Hero Today

Let Special Olympics Warm Your Home

Three Special Olympics inspired Shaw Living area rugs through the new Rugs For A Reason campaign will be available for purchase!. Each area rug — the blocks with flowers, the circles and paisley with stripes — is machine woven, not printed, and resistant to soil, stains and fading.  Click here
to learn more.

 Do Your Holiday Shopping Online and Support SOGA

 www.GoodShop.com has joined forces with 2,500+ of the top Internet retailers and travel sites (e.g., Amazon, eBay,Target, Apple, Kohls, Nordstrom, Expedia) to provide coupon and free
shipping offers, as well as donate part of every purchase to SOGA at no additional cost to you! Simply go to
www.GoodShop.com, select SOGA as your charity, click through to your favorite store, and then shop as usual. You can also access this shopping component from the www.GoodSearch.com
homepage.