Team Georgia Dreams About to Take Flight
Special Olympics Athletes to Experience 2014 Citation Special Olympics Airlift
Atlanta – June 10 – Before a single Georgia athlete competing at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games steps up to the starting line or on to the field of play, even before that athlete knew they would be competing at the Games, an army of volunteers has been hard at work, ensuring dreams will take flight.
Team Georgia is comprised of 14 athletes, six Unified Partners and six coaches will participate in USA Games.
On Saturday, June 14 members of Special Olympics Team Georgia will take the first step in their journey to the Special Olympics USA Games, being hosted in New Jersey, June 14-21, thanks to the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Team Georgia will depart Fulton County Airport – Brown Field at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, June 14. (Media are welcome to attend.) Athletes will arrive to the airport and head to the Hill Aircraft Terminal at 8:15 a.m.
The 2014 Citation Special Olympics Airlift (CSOA) is coordinated by Cessna Aircraft Company, part of the Textron Aviation segment of Textron Inc. CSOA is a signature community endeavor conducted every four years, calling upon Citation owners and operators from across the country to help transport athletes and coaches to Special Olympics USA Games. For the first time in the event’s 27-year history, this year Beechcraft and Hawker owners were also invited to participate.
The 2014 USA Games mark the seventh time Cessna has organized the Airlift, which will transport athletes to New Jersey June 14 and return them to their home bases June 21. The first Airlift in 1987 involved more than 130 Citations carrying athletes to and from the Special Olympics World Summer Games in South Bend, Indiana. The last airlift, in 2010, included 165 Citations transporting 830 athletes to and from the USA Games in Lincoln, Neb.
“Thanks to our aircraft owners’ donations of airplanes, pilots and fuel, the Citation Special Olympics Airlift has transported nearly 10,000 athletes and coaches since 1987,” said Rhonda Fullerton, director of the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. “Cessna is proud to organize this campaign; it’s gratifying to see the immediate impact the general aviation community can make on the lives of these athletes and their families.”
“The Citation Special Olympics Airlift is one of the most spectacular traditions of our USA Games: the precision, logistics, coordination, fanfare and celebrity treatment given to our athletes – it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” said Bob Gobrecht, president and managing director of Special Olympics North America. “The generosity of Cessna, their industry partners and the Citation owners not only provides our Programs with a crucial solution to the costs associated with transporting delegations, but it also gives our athletes a once-in-a-lifetime aviation experience.”
For more information on CSOA, visit airlift.cessna.com.
Media: For more information on Team Georgia CSOA participation, please contact
Susan Skolnick
Director of Development and Gifts
Special Olympics Georgia
770.414.9390, ext 111
susan.skolnick@specialolympicsga.org
Photos and video of CSOA arrivals in New Jersey will be available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/77440382@N04/ and https://textron.box.com/CSOA2014Arrival beginning June 14. Photos and video of CSOA departures from New Jersey will be available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/77440382@N04/ and https://textron.box.com/CSOA2014Departure, beginning June 21.
About the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games
The Special Olympics USA Games will be hosted by New Jersey June 14-21, 2014. Nearly 3,500 athletes will compete in 16 Olympic-style team and individual sports, with the support of 1,000 coaches,
10,000 volunteers and 70,000 family, friends and spectators. The Special Olympics USA Games will celebrate the Special Olympics movement, promote the ideals of acceptance and inclusion through sport and showcase athletes from throughout the U.S. and the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. The 2014 USA Games will also highlight Special Olympics’ work in sport, education, health and communities. Founding Partners for the 2014 Special Olympic USA Games include 21st Century Fox, Barnabas Health, HESS, KPMG, New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, Prudential, PSE&G, ShopRite, Toys “R” Us and WWE. Learn more about the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games at www.2014specialolympics.org and follow the Games on Facebook at Facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsUSAGames and Twitter @2014USAGames.
About Textron Aviation Inc.
The Textron Aviation Inc. segment is the leading general aviation authority and home to the iconic Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. The Textron Aviation companies include the businesses of Cessna Aircraft Company and Beechcraft Corporation, bringing together decades of unmatched experience in designing, building and supporting airplanes. It provides the most versatile and comprehensive general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft, and a complete global customer service organization. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation and Hawker business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s largest global service network. For more information, visit textronaviation.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. For more information visit: www.textron.com
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