June 2011

June 2011  

Ducks Need Adopting for the June 24th Derby

Adopt a duck today in the 6th Annual Duck Derby and you’ll help provide more sports and opportunities to Georgia’s 23,620 Special Olympics athletes. For a $5 or more donation, a lucky prize number will be assigned to a duck and entered into the derby in your name. On June 24th, 10,000 yellow rubber ducks will race against each other at Six Flags White Water. If your
adopted duck is one of the first to cross the finish line, you could win fabulous prizes – like a trip to Mandalay Bay & Resort, a Marriot stay, a Macy’s shopping spree, a gift certificate to Kauffman Tire, or a digital camera!  Thank you to our sponsors
Team Automotive, Allconnect, Rooms to Go Children’s Fund, Precision Aviation Group, Atlanta Arms & Ammo, Dobbins Thrift Shoppe, Highwoods Properties, Pro Carpet, Walmart, Six Flags White Water, Star 94, and WSB-TV.

Click here to adopt your duck now!  

Tip a Cop at Joe’s on June 16

Join your area law enforcement as they serve up seafood at all five Georgia Joe’s Crab Shacks on Thursday, June 16th. Dine out for our athletes and help support your local officers as they wait on you! All tips received by the cops goes directly back to SOGA. Also print out this coupon to bring with you and 10 percent of your bill comes back to SOGA as well. Thanks to the generosity of Joe’s Crab Shack! This is your chance to get to know your local law enforcement and see them serving, dancing and maybe even singing! A night to not be missed!
Restaurants are located in Douglasville, Duluth, Kennesaw, Morrow and Stone Mountain.
Want to see what other law enforcement are up to?
Click here to see an continually updated event listing

Valdostans: Come to a Tasting in Your
Titletown

Enjoy hor d’oeuvres by Covington’s, spirits, entertainment and a silent auction Aug. 27 at the Third Annual Titletown Tasting.

Mingle, meet Valdosta Special Olympics athletes and more from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at The Loft  above City Market located at 101 N. Patterson Street in Valdosta. Cost is $35.

Set your Sept. Sails for the Sailing
Regatta

 Sign up today to sail in the Sailing Regatta, Sept. 9-11, at Lake Lanier at Sunrise Cove. Watch for a sponsor boat for race viewing, a skipper reception Saturday night and
more. Click here for everything you need to participate. For more information, email Debbie.Palay@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

Play a-Round at the Busse Golf
Classic Nov. 7

Join us for the 17th Annual Bob Busse Golf Tournament Nov. 7 at the prestigious  Cherokee Town and Country Club. Enjoy a great game of golf along with golf-course prizes, door prizes, a silent auction and wonderful golfers’ reception all for the great cause of supporting Special Olympics Georgia and our
inspirational athletes.

Click here to sign up for the tournament. Golfers receive a tournament golfer’s bag, continental breakfast, lunch on course and a reception buffet. For more information, e-mail
Debbie.Palay@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

Support Athletes Going to World
Games

Good luck to  Chris Currere, Daniel Hester, Erin Hoffman, and Paul Partus going to World Games in two weeks! They have been selected to represent Team USA at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece June 20th –July 4th. They  will  join 7,500 athletes from 185 countries for two weeks of competition and friendship.
Click here to learn more about each of us and how you can help us on our journey to Greece. Thank you Georgia Delegation Sponsors AutoTrader.com, the Bennett Thrasher Foundation, Rotary Club of Dunwoody, and Special Olympics Georgia Staff.

Sponsor Spotlight: Team Automotive

Special Olympics Georgia is proud to announce that
Team Automotive is a Lucky Duck Sponsor of the 2011 Duck Derby!!

As a part of AutoNation, Team can do big things- like offer you the Smart Choice Menu. The Smart Choice shows your low price, payment options, trade-in value, even your taxes all up front. Team also offers a 3 day/150 mile money back guarantee on every used vehicle. Plus, their Value Vehicle Outlet has used cars from $1,995. Best of all, Team has 10 convenient locations right here in Atlanta, or shop online at TeamDirect.com to search over 50,000 vehicles.

Special Olympics Georgia is grateful to have been welcomed into the Team Automotive family and deeply appreciates their generosity. By sponsoring the Duck Derby, Team Automotive is making a positive impact on the lives of our athletes by giving them the financial means to train and compete. Thank you Team Automotive for your support and belief in our mission and athletes!

Volunteer Opportunities

Duck Derby Tagging Party, Tucker
June 15
We need your help tagging those rubber ducks that will be racing in the annual Duck Derby. We’ll have about 10,000 ducks to tag so we need plenty of volunteers! Come join us for this truly unique party where we celebrate ducks with music, food and drinks, and a whole lot of rubber ducks.

Duck Derby, Marietta
June 24, 2011
Those yellow rubber ducks are returning to Six Flags White Water! Volunteers are needed to help with the race and to
scoop those ducks out of the water. You MUST be willing to get wet for this opportunity and volunteers must be 18 or over to volunteer.

State Master’s Bowling Tournament, Warner Robins
August 19 – 21, 2011
Over 600 adult SOGA athletes return to Warner Robins to compete in this annual bowling tournament. Volunteers are
needed to help assist athletes on bowling lanes. This is your chance to work closely with our athletes and to see them at their best.

State Horse Show, Perry
August 19 – 21, 2011
Volunteer for Special Olympics Georgia’s
most unique state competition! Event features dressage, showmanship, walking trails and English/Western style riding.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above events, please contact Leslie Anderson at
Leslie.Anderson@SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

June Volunteer of the Month

You probably know Michelle and Joe Moreland if you have ever attended our State Summer Games – Michelle is the Summer Games Director and Joe has one of the most difficult and critical jobs at Summer Games – he’s the ice and water man. Michelle has worked on the Summer Games GMT since 2000 in many different capacities until she moved into the Director position. Michelle then got her husband Joe involved and as anyone who has been out in the May heat knows, we could not have games without his hard work making sure
the coolers are filled with ice and water and making sure everyone outsidestays hydrated, which he does from the absolute beginning of games to the very end of games. Michelle also volunteers as our awards captain for the
State Indoor Winter Games and both have gotten many family and friends involved as valuable volunteers and both are always there for the SOGA staff, other GMT members, volunteers and athletes.

 Special Olympics Georgia would like to say thank you to Michelle and Joe for your dedication to us and to our volunteers and athletes. We all truly appreciate everything you do. Congratulations on being the June volunteers
of the month!

Bank of America Promotion for Special Olympics

Bank of America and Special Olympics have joined forces to turn everyday purchases into extraordinary experiences for athletes with intellectual disabilities. With the Special Olympics
Visa® credit card and personal
checking account, you can help give children and adults with
intellectual disabilities opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and their communities.
Click here to read more.† Standard Check order fees apply

Vehicle Donations

Are you thinking of selling or trading in that old car, boat or RV? Why not donate it instead? As a charitable contribution, your donation will make a big difference. SOGA has partnered with Car Program, LLC to turn your old vehicle into much needed funds for our program. Just download this form and fax it in. Car Program LLC will make arrangements to
conveniently and quickly pick up your vehicle at no cost to you. They handle the title transfer requirements and provide you with a tax deductible donation receipt at pick-up!

Shop Online and Support SOGA

www.GoodShop.com has joined forces with the top Internet retailers and travel sites (e.g., Amazon, eBay,Target, Apple, Kohls, 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.

  Strike the R-Word and Bowl with Atlanta
Hawks Marvin Williams Sept. 22

Click here to bowl with Atlanta Hawks Marvin Williams Sept. 22 at 300 Atlanta. The event, held at 300 Atlanta off I-285,
will feature a meet and greet with Marvin, event T-shirts, food, beverages and drawing prizes. E-mail
Wendy.Bigham@SpecialOlympicsGA.org for information.

Will You Introduce us to Your Friends?

You know lots of people– family members, friends, work colleagues, just about everywhere you go there’s someone you know. Will you introduce Special Olympics Georgia to them? Forward this e-newsletter and ask them to
click here and then click on the Sign-up for the e-newsletter button. We’d love to see you and our new friends atthe State Horse how or Masters Bowling Aug. 19-21.