NFL Experience

Special Olympics Louisiana is giving one lucky football fan and a guest a chance to win a trip to Super Bowl XLIX (49) in Arizona for ONLY $10!  To purchase your raffle tickets, give us a call at 1-800-345-6644!  Drawing will be held on Friday, December 19th, live on the Johnny in the Morning show on Tangi 96.5 and will be posted to www.laso.org.

Package includes:

• Round trip airfare to Scottsdale, Arizona.
• A 4 day/3 night hotel stay.
• Invitation to the pre game VIP hospitality party.
• Upper level end zone/ corner game tickets.

Are You Brave Enough?

On Friday, December 5th, Special Olympics Louisiana will host NOLA Over the Edge: SWAT Edition!

Whether you are fearless or looking to overcome your fears, NOLA Over the Edge: SWAT Edition is the challenge for you! This event is the Ultimate Adrenaline Rush! On December 5, 2014 participants will get the opportunity to RAPPEL 25 stories down NOLA’s Benson Tower, RIDE in a helicopter & SWAT train with Louisiana’s finest at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Training Facility, while raising much needed funds for Special Olympics Louisiana athletes!

If YOU are brave, click here to register!

This event could not be possible with out volunteers and sponsors!  If you are interested in volunteering, click here.  For sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

EKS Day is Tomorrow!

The fifth annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day will take place tomorrow, September 27, 2014!  This global call to action is for people to live in a more inclusive society.  Not only through sports, but also in the community.  

We encourage all of our followers to go out tomorrow and take part in a Unified event, take some pictures, and leave a comment on this post about your day.

Learn more about EKS Day here.

 

Thursday Inspiration

“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.”

– Muhammad Ali

State Fall Classic is Coming Soon!

State Fall Classic is a little over three (3) weeks away!  Over 400 athletes will compete in aquatics, horseshoes, and softball.  Events will take place at Pelican Park in Carencro and the Robicheaux Center in Lafayette.  Also on the agenda is Healthy Athletes, which will provide free health screenings to our athletes, Olympic Town, which will showcase fun Games, and the Victory Dance, which will be a fun time for all of our athletes.  All of these events will take place at Carencro High.

As with any of our events, we rely on great volunteers!  If you would like to volunteer for State Fall Classic, please click here.

Also, competitions are free and open to the public!  We invite you to come cheer on our athletes as they compete for the Gold, beginning with Opening Ceremonies on Friday, October 17th for 7pm at Pelican Park.  Come out and be a Fan in the Stands!

We hope to see you there!

American Graduate Day

On Saturday September 27th (EKS Day) Special Olympics will be participating in “American Graduate Day,” a 7-hour live national broadcast on PBS, addressing the issue of graduation rates in the United States. And for the first time in its history, special education and Special Olympics’ work in schools will be a part of this exciting conversation!

Tune in to your local PBS station on September 27th between 1:30 and 2:30 PM CST to meet athlete and youth leaders Alexa and Brooke from Special Olympics New Jersey and hear their story. A message from SOI Chairman Tim Shriver is also scheduled to be featured in the broadcast. Alexa and Brooke are scheduled to be on air close to 1:45 PM, but it is a live broadcast, hence the one hour window we’ve shared.

Check your local listings for more information. The broadcast will also be streamed live on the American Graduation Day website

We are thrilled to be a featured part of this national conversation addressing a critical issue for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

Don’t forget to tune in!

GET LOUD!

For too long people with intellectual disabilities have been neglected and discriminated against. You have the power to change this.

All it takes is getting out to play. Unified.

Tell the world you are playing unified to bring people together and break down stereotypes.

Thank You ILETR Conference Volunteers!

We would like to dedicate today’s blog post to thanking every single officer, volunteer, and attendee who helped us host the International Law Enforcement Torch Run Conference here in Louisiana. If It wasn’t for you the conference wouldn’t have been such a huge success. Special thanks to the Louisiana LETR Executive Council, the Louisiana ILETR Conference Planning Committee, the International Council Planning Committee, the ILETR Executive Council, Kenner Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office, LSU Police Department, Lafayette Sheriff’s Office, Slidell Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department, Louisiana State Police, and New Orleans Police Department. Without the help of these amazing people who donated their time, staff, and resources, hosting the ILETR Conference would not have been possible! Officers dedicate their time to this movement year round. ILETR Conference is for these officers to reignite their passion,  learn more about the movement, and share progressive ideas in order to grow their local program. THANK YOU!

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics Louisiana, or LETR, unites officers from law enforcement agencies and corrections departments across the state in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics Louisiana. Torch Run efforts to raise funds include collecting corporate sponsorships, selling t-shirts, running, and hosting unique fundraising events.

For more information on the Law Enforcement Torch Run movement click here.

Will you be one of 250?

Your monthly gift earns us an extra $100!

One of our partners, MTM Recognition, has made a remarkable offer- and we hope you will be a part of it! For every new Sustaining Partner (those who commit to give monthly to Special Olympics) MTM Recognition will donate $100 to our movement. Our goal is to recruit 250 new monthly supporters by October 31, 2014. Please be one of them! The matching gift will do even more to help Special Olympics Louisiana do even more to transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. And as a Sustaining Partner, you choose your monthly giving level. You may give $15, $20, or any other amount you are comfortable with.

Click here to become a Sustaining Partner.

About Sustaining Partners

As a Sustaining Partner, you’ll receive a beautiful 16 month calendar every year, periodic updates and stories about athletes whose lives are touched by your generosity, exclusive Sustaining Partners e-newsletter and an annual statement for tax purposes. Your support will help provide high quality year-round sports trainings and competitions, recruit and train more volunteer coaches, bring health services to athletes in dire need, make a major difference in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

She Rocks: Avril Lavigne’s Birthday Wish for S.O.

Multi-platinum recording artist, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and Special Olympics supporter Avril Lavigne, has teamed up with CrowdRise, an online fundraising platform, to support Special Olympics. Proceeds from the “Team Rockstar” campaign, will sponsor athletes competing in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Athletes from all Special Olympics regions will be supported, including North America.

The “Team Rockstar” fundraising campaign began September 5 and will run through Avril’s birthday, September 27, 2014. September 27 is also global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day, a day where Special Olympics Programs around the world celebrate the founder of Special Olympics and how one person can make a difference. The team raising the most amount of money during the competition will win dinner for them and a friend with Avril Lavigne. The top fundraising teams will have the opportunity to win a range of prizes, including signed Converse shoes worn by Avril, Google hangouts and calls with Avril, exclusive signed items, and other prizes.

Watch the video here.

To learn more, visit Avril’s CrowdRise page at www.CrowdRise.com/avril.