Beacon of Hope: New Special Olympics Georgia Cauldron for the Flame of Hope to be Unveiled Nov. 10

/PRNewswire/ -- Duke Oursler used to help run concession stands and run other errands at Special Olympics events his mom ran in Kansas. And recently, using his art and sculpting talents, he built something even greater for the movement: a bright and shiny beacon of hope for the athletes in Georgia.

The lighting of the new cauldron marks the opening of the games. This high energy portion of the Opening Ceremony is carried out by athletes and law enforcement officers and is always a highlight of the ceremony. The new Special Olympics cauldron will be unveiled at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10 on the lawn of the Bulloch County Court House in downtown, followed by a reception at the Averitt Center for the Arts. The cauldron is made of sanded stainless steel that looks like marble. Steps were built in the back where the torch lighter can easily light the fuse.

"It'll be like a shining moment the athletes experience at Games. I wanted to reflect that energy, because that's what it's all about," said Oursler, a Savannah State University art instructor. It took three months to create and design the cauldron and about a month to sand until it was sparkly into almost a mirror surface, like a piece of forever-lasting jewelry, he said.

The cauldron was designed and created to help in the celebration of Special Olympics Georgia's 40th Anniversary.

"Duke was given several ideas and he took those ideas and created a cauldron that would make all of our athletes, coaches, volunteers, Law Enforcement Torch Run officers, parents, sponsors and staff proud to be involved in the Special Olympics movement and to ignite the flame of hope," said SOGA's Vice President of Programs Robert Yost.

The cauldron will be lit for the first time Friday, Nov. 12 at State Fall Games Opening Ceremony at South East Bulloch High School.

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Usher's Camp New Look 2008 Continues to Empower and Educate Inner-City Youth

PRNewswire/ -- Grammy Award winning entertainer and philanthropist Usher Raymond IV, in conjunction with his New Look Foundation, will welcome 126 underserved youths from throughout the country to the Atlanta area for this year's Camp New Look. Held July 14-27 at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta, Camp New Look is a two-week summer camp which empowers children and educates them about the business aspects of the sports and entertainment industries. During the free camp, kids ages 12 to 17 will participate in workshops and seminars that will help them to enrich their skills in various areas including New Look's core components -- music, dance, sports, acting, and video production.

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the 2008 Camp New Look curriculum will include the fundamentals of launching a new fragrance. New Look campers will develop and launch a fragrance for an NHL All-Star athlete, getting help and advice from the executive team at Liz Claiborne Cosmetics. Campers will be taught the fundamentals of manufacturing, engineering, marketing, promoting and launching the fragrance. New Look has expanded this program and has also partnered with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream to provide internships with New Look alumni. The joint ventures with the NHL and WNBA will provide Camp New Look graduates with the chance to gain behind-the-scenes insights from the best in the business, while also allowing them to explore and enhance their talents and skills.

"This year's camp is going to be bigger and more exciting than ever," said Usher. "We really strive to provide our campers with the best support and most beneficial experience available. I want to move beyond the exposure of Camp New Look and create a true career pipeline for underserved kids so that they can turn their experiences into careers in multi-billion dollar industries."

Additionally, campers will take field trips to various companies and organizations that are designed to enhance their overall understanding of business. Special guests are also expected to visit the camp to share their professional experiences. Previous guests include music stars Ludacris, Omarion and Lloyd, and athletes Allen Rossum (Atlanta Falcons) and Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic).

On Friday, July 25, Usher and Charles Ellis, store director of Tiffany & Co. Atlanta, will host a private, star-studded reception at the lavish Tiffany & Co. at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta. The celebration will also mark the release of Usher's uCast -- a bi-weekly online series that features an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Usher's life as a recording star, philanthropist and businessman. uCast is an educational podcast series that receives over 35,000 downloads weekly. Usher's uCast has enjoyed immense popularity, reaching as high as No.7 on I-Tunes music podcasts.

"uCast is really more than a podcast," said Usher. "It's an educational tool for learning how business in the entertainment industry really works. It allows New Look to distribute its message to thousands of viewers each week!"

New Look has served more than 1,300 teens from across the U.S. through Camp New Look in Atlanta and mini-camps in New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Milwaukee.

Athletes around the state compete in Cobb County at State Indoor Winter Games

Athletes from all over Georgia will compete in Special Olympics Georgia’s State Indoor Games this weekend.

More than 2,000 participants from all over Georgia will compete in Special Olympics State Indoor Winter Games Jan. 18-20 at various locations in Cobb County. Athletes will compete in basketball, bowling, floor hockey, ice skating, power lifting, artistic gymnastics and roller skating.

The games, which are free and open to the public, begin Friday with the Opening Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at Cobb Civic Center in Marietta.

Competition will be Saturday and Sunday at various locations, including AMF Marietta Lanes, Brunswick Zone, Marietta Ice Center, Marietta Middle School, Marietta 6th Grade Academy Cobb County Civic Center and Velocity Sports in Roswell. The public is invited to be “Fans in the Stands” and cheer on athletes with supportive signs and posters.

Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA)
SOGA provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for nearly 23,000 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 Olympics athletes and the community. For more information visit www.SpecialOlympicsGA.org.