State Indoor Games

The 2013 State Indoor Games will take place March 8-10th in Baton Rouge, LA.  Athletes will compete in bowling, basketball, and tennis.  This is our 1st state event of the year and we are excited to get this event underway!

This year will be unique because we will host our Opening Ceremonies on the LSU Parade Ground and basketball competition will be at LSU UREC, a first for us!

To make this event possible we will need hundreds of Volunteers for the event!  From assisting on a bowling lane, to officiating a basketball game, to cheering loudly at Opening Ceremonies, we need YOU!  You can register to Volunteer here.

We invite everyone to come and see our athletes compete!

And we welcome to the Board…

Special Olympics Louisiana’s statewide Board of Directors is proud to announce four new members: Colonel Michael Edmonson, Dustin Guessfeld, Suzette Rose and John Saye. These individuals assumed their position on the Board beginning January 2013. Each of these individuals bring years of professional experience and resources with them. Read more 

Colonel Mike Edmonson, Dustin Guessfeld, Suzette Rose and John Saye

A Hero Without A Cape

Earlier this month, Michael Garcia, became a hero of sorts.  A waiter at a Houston restaurant, Michael stood up to a family that asked to move away from Milo, a 5 year old boy who has Down Syndrome.  In a recent interview, Michael said, “my personal feelings took over, and I told him, ‘I’m not going to be able to serve you, Sir.”

Milo’s mother had this to say, “I was impressed that somebody would step out of their own comfort level and put their job on the line as well as to stand up for somebody else.”

Check out the full story here.

Leveling the Playing Field

Friday was a groundbreaking day for people with disabilities in the US. The Department of Education released new guidance to schools requiring equal access to sports for people with disabilities. One of the clarifications says, “Exclusion of students from sports activities is not permissible.  Therefore, if children with disabilities cannot be accommodated within existing programs, alternatives need to be developed.” This is wonderful news for our organization and our advocates. Special Olympics Louisiana looks forward to establishing new and enhancing existing relationships with the schools in Louisiana to promote equality for all students.

Read the full release from Special Olympics Louisiana here
Read more about it here
Read the USA Today article here

Foam Fest Friday

 

Join us on March 23rd for the 1st 5KFoam Fest in Louisiana! Special Olympics Louisiana is proud to be a Foam Friend of this event. Click here or on the picture for more information, registration, etc.

2013 Volunteer T-Shirts

Want one?  Volunteer for any of our four State Events;State Indoor Games, State Golf & Cycling, State Summer Games, or State Fall Classic and one can be YOURS!

Local representative goes to Korea

Ninoska Guggenheim, with Kenner Police Department, is the Louisiana representative at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. She is taking part in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Final Leg and will be running all over Korea spreading our message! Check out the LETR Final Leg site

Law Enforcement officials and Special Olympics athletes, unified together as a part of the Final Leg Team, will serve as true Guardians of the Flame™ and promote the powerful messages of inclusion, acceptance, and ability every step of our Final Leg journey to promote the 2013 Winter World Games. The 2013 Korea Final Leg Torch Run will be held from 21 January to 29 January 2013 culminating with the arrival of the Flame of Hope™ by the Guardians of the Flame, the Final Leg team in  Pyeongchang, Korea for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Happy MLK Day

Inspirational Video

Brothers Conner and Cayden Long were recently honored in New York for the 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKids of the Year.  Though, Cayden was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Conner still plays sports with his brother.

The two compete in triathlons, with Conner towing Cayden through the process.

Click the picture below to watch the inspirational story!

LETR Conference

Tomorrow, law enforcement officers will gather in New Orleans for our annual State LETR Conference.  Topics of discussion will include: athletes & families, successful events and recruitment.  The theme for the event will be “He Wears the Badge, She Wears the Medal” as you can see pictured below.

Stay tuned for pictures from the conference!