The World Games Sevenly Collection

Sevenly is featuring the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 on their site this week.  Not only is Sevenly promoting the World Games, but they have also designed and are selling shirts in support of us! For every item purchased, Sevenly is donating $7 to the Games. These shirts are adorable and are the perfect way to support your favorite Team USA athletes! Hurry and get yours before the week ends and they are no longer available. Order them here!

People First Language

People first language is important to our organization and our athletes.  By using this, our athletes are looked at for the person they are, or the things they have accomplished before their disability is known.

In a recent blog post from Special Olympics guest blogger, Daniel Smrokowski,  he describes people first language by stating, “In other words, the person is named before the adjective or descriptive phrase referring to the person. It helps to memorize a simple example…”

Read the full blog post here.

Competing Together

We recently came across this article which tells the story of Noah and Lucas Aldrich, and their feat to complete in a youth triathlon.  From Today.com, “…so he pulled and pushed his little brother the whole way as he swam, biked and ran in the sweltering heat. Their mother says that they are inseparable and it is not surprising that they would compete as a unit, stating: “The connection and the love that they share is truly unique.”

Read the full story here.

Perseverance

As you wind down your Monday, we thought you could use this quote to help you finish your day!  Our athletes persevere daily in their actions and training.  Can you help continue their perseverance?

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

One Year Away from Special Olympics World Games!

Special Olympics World Games will start exactly one year from today in Los Angeles, CA! Over 7,000 Special Olympics athletes from 177 countries will participate in the games.  Louisiana is proud to announce that we will be sending three (3) athletes to training camp for Team USA!

We ask that you join in on the celebration this week by joining us on social media to get the world excited for these games…Click here to see what you to do to spread the word!

You can view more info on the Games here.

A Special Little Girl

Valentina Guerrero is a smiling blond, two-year-old who likes to wear frilly pink skirts. She’s also the first girl with Down syndrome to have her own line of clothing. Read the full story

Wellness Wednesday from Special Olympics

Taken from Special Olympics Facebook page: For today’s #WellnessWednesday, we’re asking for input from our adult athletes who are interested in sharing their insights with the Health Disparities Project team at the University of New Hampshire. This five-year research project has focused on identifying why access to health care and health outcomes differ among people with different types of disabilities. They are asking adults with disabilities to answer a brief health survey before the project releases its major findings in Washington, DC, this fall at the annual Research-to-Policy Roundtable meeting. The link to the survey is:https://unh.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_8jJ6rl41yrnjVIN.

While the website says the survey closes on July 25, it has been extended to July 30 so more Special Olympics athletes have time to participate, if interested.

You Can’t Spell Challenge Without Change

Louisiana education has been a challenge, but we are making a change. Check out our new video below about our Project UNIFY program!  Video Production and Editing by Tuck N Roll Media.

Happy Monday

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
~Benjamin Franklin

46 Years and Counting

On Sunday, July 20th, Special Olympics Louisiana will turn 46 years old!  Back in 1968, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, we were founded with 25 other States. As you may know, those were the first Special Olympics International Games.  We had eleven (11) athletes participate in the first Games.  Today, we are home to 13,000 athletes and growing!

Thank you to all of our athletes, volunteers, partners, donors, and sponsors for all that you have done over the years!  Here’s to another 46 years!

Click here on more pictures and info from the first Games.  Stay up to date with us by visiting our website.