We are so very proud of our very own Special Olympics Louisiana athlete, Mary Martina, who has been crowned the 1st Queen of the St.Thomas More Catholic High School (STM) Kiwanis Select Football Jamboree! According to St. Thomas More’s website, the STM football game against Notre Dame takes place Thursday, August 28 7:15 p.m. at Teurlings Catholic. Ms. Martina, a junior at STM, enjoys reading, theatre and dancing. CONGRATS MARY! Comment below to congratulate her on this amazing title!
Check out this awesome guest blogger article from FriendshipCircle.org on Inclusive Schools.
4 Things No One Tells You About Inclusive Schools is written by Nicole Eredics, an elementary school teacher who has been working in an inclusive classroom for 15 years.
Eredics says, “Students in inclusive schools are known to form meaningful relationships, have the same learning opportunities and high academic expectations as one another, and learn to respect the diverse nature of humankind.”
Click here to read the full article.
Are you registered to volunteer for State Fall Classic? If not, do so now by clicking here! Our athletes are hard at work and we would love for you to come out and be a part of this event. The event will take place in Carencro, LA on October 17-19!
You can also be a Fan in the Stands for Opening Ceremo
nies on October 17th and all competition is free and open to the public. Athletes will compete in aquatics, horseshoes, and softball.
Hope to see you there!
Let the countdown begin! We are officially one week away from Camp Shriver Magnolia being held in Jefferson Parish (September 2-5).
Camp Shriver bring
s together people with and without intellectual disabilities for training and competition each summer. The primary goals are to provide another level of challenge and promote inclusion. Camps take place in many cities throughout LA. Camp Shriver will in many, if not most, cases, help supplement on-going local community school activities.
Camp Shriver is, and will continue to be, a place for people with intellectual disabilities to learn new sports skills and improve individual sport performance, participate in individual and team sports, build friendships and have fun with partners who have signed on and trained as camp volunteers.
This camp will feature athletes from the Magnolia Community Center and the Greater New Orleans area. Athletes and Volunteers will paticipate in Kickball, Bocce, and Horseshoes.
We would also like to say a HUGE thank you to the volunteers from the Ritz Carlton New Orleans!
We can’t wait to see you there!
At the end of the day, regardless of our abilities, we are ALL Athletes! Check out this great video below featuring some of our athletes, coaches, and partners that participate in Project UNIFY.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Join us for the 2015 World Games Twitter party today at 1 p.m. CT. // //
We’ll be sharing favorite stories of courage, determination, and joy, facts about the World Games and our excitement that the Games are less than one year away!
As always, thanks for your support. Let us know if you have any questions or feedback. We look forward to seeing you at the Twitter Party!
Daniel Smrokowski is a Special Olympics Global Messenger, athlete, and college graduate. He biggest passion, though, is media and journalism. He is the founder and CEO of Special Chronicles Nonprofit New Media Company where he hosts his own podcast. 
He was recently featured on the Special Olympics World Games website. You can read and watch some of his podcast’s here.
Meet Rose.
Rose is a motivational speaker based out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has worked for many years professionally and personally, advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities.
Rose has worked closely with people with disabilities and community leaders to teach the importance of inclusion.
Throughout the years Rose worked closely with many community agencies that advocate for inclusion and the empowerment of people with disabilities.
From 2002 to 2010 Rose worked for Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge. She worked as a Self Advocacy Specialist and provided resources and information to families regarding all matters of disability rights.
She was also an athelete in the Special Olympics. Later, with many victories under her belt, she moved on and was appointed to the Special Olympics Board of Directors where her life experiences could benefit both 
the organization and other atheletes as well.
Her personal story is a story of strength and perserverance and provides inspiration to all who hear it!
Rose is available to speak to school, church, and community groups. If you are interested in hiring Rose to speak to your group, please send an email to rgarret8@bellsouth.net
Congratulations, Rose, for everything you have accomplished and we are so very proud to have you as part of our Special Olympics Family!
So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.” ~Helen Keller
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