Second straight year this SOGA double-event is being held in “Poultry Capital of the World”
Atlanta – October 1, 2015 – For the second straight year, Gainesville and the Hall County area will be the site for two of Special Olympics Georgia’s biggest events each year – the State Fall Games and the State Horse Show.
This double-event is set for next weekend, Oct. 9-11 at four different venues in the Gainesville area. Nearly 2,500 athletes and unified partners will travel for the State Fall games to compete in bocce, cycling, golf and softball. Venues for the State Fall Games are North Hall Park (bocce and softball), Laurel Park (softball and cycling) and Chicopee Woods Golf Course.
In addition, approximately 240 athletes will participate in the State Horse show, which will be held at Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center. Riders will be competing in events such as dressage, horsemanship, showmanship, western riding and unified drill team.
The Opening Ceremony for both events will be on Friday, Oct. 9, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The State Fall Games’ Opening Ceremony will take place at Gainesville Middle School, while Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center will host the State Horse Show Opening Ceremony.
The State Fall Games and the State Horse Show are both free and open to the public.
“Special Olympics Georgia is excited to be back in Gainesville/Hall County for the State Fall Games and Horse Show,” said Special Olympics Georgia CEO Georgia Milton-Sheats. “Over 2,000 athletes from around the state will be traveling to Gainesville to compete and they will be going for the gold! The Gainesville community has been so welcoming and supportive and we hope to see many of you in the stands and cheering on the athletes.
“Thank you, Gainesville, for being fans of the athletes.”
In addition to the competition itself, there will also be Olympic Town on Saturday, Oct. 10, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. inside the North Hall Park Community Center gymnasium, where athletes can enjoy games, crafts, snacks and more. Athletes will have their balance, strength and flexibility measured by physical therapists for free.
There will also be a Young Athletes demonstration at Olympic Town for any children, ages 2-7, with and without intellectual disabilities. Here, children will go through quick stations that teach sports skills, prepare these Young Athletes for future competition and encourage cognitive and motor development.
Olympic Town at the State Horse Show will also be on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Activity Hall of the Agricultural Center. It will feature arts and crafts.
Special Olympics Georgia would like to thank the three Presenting Sponsors for the two events – Lockheed Martin for the State Fall Games and Farm Bureau and Dr. Chris Claire and Family for the State Horse Show.
Those interested in volunteering should contact whitney.warren@specialolympicsga,org. For more information and a schedule, please visit www.specialolympicsga.org.
About Special Olympics Georgia SOGA provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 26,702 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendships with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community. For more information, visit www.specialolympicsga.org.
Gainesville set to host both State Fall Games and Horse Show for Special Olympics Georgia
by Liz SmithSecond straight year this SOGA double-event is being held in “Poultry Capital of the World”
Atlanta – October 1, 2015 – For the second straight year, Gainesville and the Hall County area will be the site for two of Special Olympics Georgia’s biggest events each year – the State Fall Games and the State Horse Show.
This double-event is set for next weekend, Oct. 9-11 at four different venues in the Gainesville area. Nearly 2,500 athletes and unified partners will travel for the State Fall games to compete in bocce, cycling, golf and softball. Venues for the State Fall Games are North Hall Park (bocce and softball), Laurel Park (softball and cycling) and Chicopee Woods Golf Course.
The Opening Ceremony for both events will be on Friday, Oct. 9, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The State Fall Games’ Opening Ceremony will take place at Gainesville Middle School, while Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center will host the State Horse Show Opening Ceremony.
The State Fall Games and the State Horse Show are both free and open to the public.
“Special Olympics Georgia is excited to be back in Gainesville/Hall County for the State Fall Games and Horse Show,” said Special Olympics Georgia CEO Georgia Milton-Sheats. “Over 2,000 athletes from around the state will be traveling to Gainesville to compete and they will be going for the gold! The Gainesville community has been so welcoming and supportive and we hope to see many of you in the stands and cheering on the athletes.
“Thank you, Gainesville, for being fans of the athletes.”
In addition to the competition itself, there will also be Olympic Town on Saturday, Oct. 10, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. inside the North Hall Park Community Center gymnasium, where athletes can enjoy games, crafts, snacks and more. Athletes will have their balance, strength and flexibility measured by physical therapists for free.
There will also be a Young Athletes demonstration at Olympic Town for any children, ages 2-7, with and without intellectual disabilities. Here, children will go through quick stations that teach sports skills, prepare these Young Athletes for future competition and encourage cognitive and motor development.
Olympic Town at the State Horse Show will also be on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Activity Hall of the Agricultural Center. It will feature arts and crafts.
Special Olympics Georgia would like to thank the three Presenting Sponsors for the two events – Lockheed Martin for the State Fall Games and Farm Bureau and Dr. Chris Claire and Family for the State Horse Show.
Those interested in volunteering should contact whitney.warren@specialolympicsga,org. For more information and a schedule, please visit www.specialolympicsga.org.
About Special Olympics Georgia SOGA provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 26,702 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendships with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community. For more information, visit www.specialolympicsga.org.
20th Annual Marlow’s Tavern Golf Classic, October 15, TPC Sugarloaf
by Liz SmithJoin us at TPC Sugarloaf for the 20th Annual Marlow’s Tavern Golf Classic benefiting SOGA. Since 1999 this annual golf tournament and Marlow’s Tavern openings have raised over $900,000 for our athletes, and this year’s tournament goal is to take it over the $1 Million mark! The fun-filled day will include a putting contest, shotgun start, hole contests, and an awards ceremony, reception and silent auction.
Click here for Available Sponsorships.
Click here for the Registration Form.
If you cannot participate in the tournament but would like to make a donation, please make your check payable to Special Olympics Georgia, write “Marlow’s” on the memo line, and mail to Susan Skolnick, Special Olympics Georgia 6046 Financial Drive, Norcross, GA 30071.
For more information, contact Susan Skolnick at (770) 414-9390 ext. 1111.
Thank you Marlow’s Tavern and past and current sponsors for your generous support over the years!
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day – September 26
by Liz SmithOn September 26, we hope that our Special Olympics family around the world will celebrate the legacy of an amazing woman. Launched six years ago to commemorate the life and spirit of the founder of the Special Olympics movement, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is a celebration of one person’s achievements and inspiration, but also the values she represents to this day – compassion, tolerance, love and a passion for social justice and equality. Eunice Kennedy Shriver dedicated her life to fighting for people with intellectual disabilities, helping to open people’s minds to their gifts and potential. She believed that one person could make a difference and change the world, and her life demonstrated the truth of that belief.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day will consist of individual events held at the local, state, national, regional and global levels – events that demonstrate and exemplify the value and spirit of inclusion both on and off the playing field. Special Olympics Georgia will be recognizing and celebrating Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day at our Strike the R-word bowling event on September 29.
To be a part of this inclusion movement, sign up at http://www.specialolympics.org/LetsChangeTheGame, and follow it on social media using #LetsChangeTheGame.
2014 State Fall Games
by Liz Smith2014 State Horse Show
by Liz Smith2015 State Masters Bowling
by Liz Smith2015 Duck Pluck
by Liz Smith2014 State Summer Games
by Liz SmithNew Monthly Donors Earn Our Athletes An Extra $50!
by Liz SmithGreat news! Until October 31, a generous supporter will give an additional $50 to Special Olympics when you make your first monthly gift as a Sustaining Partner.
As a Sustaining Partner, your monthly gift of any amount you choose will help ensure we’re always able to provide training and competition opportunities to our athletes year-round. Sustaining Partners provide the dependable monthly support we need to fund things like athlete training, uniforms, transportation, meals, medals and so much more. Your steady support gives our athletes a chance to show the world what they can do. As they train, they gain confidence and skills to succeed both on and off the playing fields. Again and again we see it transform the way the athletes see themselves as someone who can, not someone who cannot.
lease help us reach and train more aspiring athletes and ensure that none of our athletes ever have to sit on the sidelines at an event – become a Sustaining Partner now and Special Olympics will receive an additional $50, up to $25,000. Please don’t delay – this opportunity to multiply your impact is only available until October 31. Thank you again for all that you do to help improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities!
Warner Robins set to host the State Masters Bowling Tournament for Special Olympics Georgia
by Liz SmithSixth straight year this SOGA event is being held in Georgia’s “International City”
Atlanta – August 12, 2015 – In what is becoming a late-summer tradition, the Special Olympics Georgia State Masters Bowling Tournament returns to Warner Robins Aug. 21-23. This marks the sixth straight year the event is being held in Georgia’s “International City.”
Warner Robins was also the host city for the inaugural State Masters Bowling event in 1990. The Tournament is free and open to the public.
“We are so excited and looking forward to the upcoming State Masters Bowling Tournament,” said Special Olympics Georgia CEO Georgia Milton-Sheats. “Thank you to the city of Warner Robins and the community for being so incredible and embracing us with open arms. This will be a huge event including singles, unified team and ramp bowling competitions.
“Come and be a fan!”
An estimated 1,200 SOGA athletes and unified partners are expected to compete in the event, while approximately 250 coaches and 600 volunteers will be on hand to help make the tournament a success. The Masters Bowling Tournament is the third of the five State Games hosted by Special Olympics Georgia each year.
Although there will be competition on the first day of the event, the highlight of the day is the Opening Ceremony, which will be held at Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins. Warner Robins Mayor Randy Toms with serve as the Tournament Grand Marshal, while Amanda Castro from NBC 41-Macon will be the Master of Ceremonies.
The Opening Ceremony concludes with the Parade of Athletes with a bagpiper and the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Afterwards, there will be a dance with singer Dell Cook providing the post-ceremony entertainment.
The bowling competition itself will be held at both the Gold Cup Lanes and Robins Air Force Base Bowling Center (Robins Lanes). Overall, there will be athletes representing 53 local agencies from throughout the state, and awards will be given throughout the Tournament.
Special Olympics Georgia would like to thank the two Presenting Sponsors – the City of Warner Robins and the Warner Robins Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as Official Sponsors Idealease, Allied World, Flint Energies, Kaiser Permanente, Boeing, RR Donnelley, Mattel, Lockheed Martin and the Knights of Columbus.
Potential volunteers need to contact whitney.warren@specialolympicsga,org. For more information and a schedule, please visit www.specialolympicsga.org.