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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Cheer on Special Olympics Athletes Competing at State Indoor Winter Games in Cobb County Jan. 15-17

/PRNewswire/ -- Athletes from all over Georgia will compete in Special Olympics Georgia's State Indoor Winter Games, sponsored by Stadion Money Management, in Cobb County this weekend.

The games mark the first event of Special Olympics Georgia's 40th anniversary. The organization has grown from 500 athletes in 1970 to nearly 23,000 today. Special Olympics will debut red and white scarves knitted by the community. Next year, the organization aims to give every athlete a scarf.

More than 2,000 participants from all over Georgia will compete Jan. 15-17 at various locations in Cobb County. Athletes will compete in basketball, bowling, floor hockey, power lifting, artistic gymnastics and roller skating.

The games, which are free and open to the public, begin Friday morning with basketball competitions at Smyrna Community Center and Opening Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. at Cobb Civic Center in Marietta. Grand Marshalls are Kennesaw State University athletes and Doc Shaw of Disney's Suite Life on Deck and Tyler Perry's House of Payne.

Competitions will continue Saturday and Sunday at various locations, including AMF Marietta Lanes, Brunswick Zone, Marietta Middle School, and Cobb County Civic Center. The full schedule is available at www.SpecialOlympicsGA.org.

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Governor Lights Flame of Hope for Special Olympics Georgia at State Capitol, Kicking Off Summer Games

/PRNewswire / -- Governor Sonny Perdue will help light the Flame of Hope for Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) athletes at 9:15 a.m. Friday on the front steps of the State Capitol, kicking off State Summer Games this weekend.

The torch has been passed across the state by law enforcement officers for the last few weeks and will stop at 8 p.m. Friday at the Summer Games Opening Ceremony at Emory University's McDonough Field.

At the games, 2,100 athletes will compete in gymnastics, aquatics, athletics, volleyball, soccer, tennis and other sports Saturday and Sunday at Emory's Woodruff P.E. Center and the Candler Soccer Field, which are free and open to the public.

Friday's torch passing is part of a press conference to announce the 2009 Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run. Once the Governor and SOGA athlete Elena Weaver light the torch, they will pass it off to members of the 2009 Law Enforcement Torch Run, comprised of the Atlanta Police Department, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Georgia State Patrol and other agencies' officers across the state.

Perdue, Weaver and Chief Billy Grogan of Dunwoody Police Department and LETR State Director will speak at the conference.

The top five Torch Run fundraising agencies are: Kennesaw Police Department, Marietta Police Department, Chatham County Sheriff's Department, Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department, and Villa Rica Police Department. The Torch Run's presenting sponsor is Publix Supermarkets.

Special Olympics Georgia mission

Special Olympics Georgia provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for 22,797 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 friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

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Be a Fan of Special Olympics Georgia athletes and join the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign

/PRNewswire / -- Special Olympics Georgia announced a new youth-lead effort - Spread the Word to End the Word - 3.31.09, encouraging people to pledge to stop using the derogatory word "retard."

Tuesday, March 31 will be devoted to educating and raising awareness about individuals with intellectual disabilities and the offensive use of the "R-word" in casual conversation all across the country. Spread the Word to End the Word is a collaborative promotion engaging Special Olympics leaders, celebrities, opinion leaders and the media.

In Georgia, radio ads discouraging the use of the "R-word" featuring Atlanta Hawks forward Marvin Williams have played on stations in metro Atlanta throughout the year leading up to today. Williams has also appeared in print ads and in radio interviews saying "I don't use the R-word." In addition, Facebook users are encouraged to update their status to "I don't use the R-word. Visit www.r-word.org."

Actor John C. McGinley, who plays Dr. Cox on the television show "Scrubs," and Ambassador of the National Down Syndrome Society, pledged his support for Spread the Word to End the Word after meeting with more than 130 young adults during a Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit in February held in conjunction with the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

"Most people don't think of this word as the language of hate, but that's exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends," said McGinley, who has a son, Max, with Down Syndrome. McGinley has also appeared on The Bonnie Hunt Show and TV Guide Network promoting this endeavor.

McGinley added, "I choose to believe that most of us are fundamentally good and that we're just not aware that the word is offensive and that it hurts."

McGinley and young people want to change casual conversation and help eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word from today's popular youth vernacular and replace it with a different r-word - "respect." Across the country, students and schools across the country will unite to challenge everyone to think before they speak.

A week of campaigning will include posters and word-of-mouth encouraging everyone to pledge to stop the use of the word at www.r-word.org. Youth have set a goal to garner 100,000 online pledges through this campaign.

Special Olympics, Inc. launched its activities and Web site www.r-word.org to eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word in today's society in August 2008 when the film "Tropic Thunder" hit theatres. Special Olympics, along with a coalition of 17 disability organizations throughout the country including National Down Syndrome Society, American Association of People with Disabilities, The Arc of the United States and Best Buddies spoke out against the film, which featured the prominent use of the R-word.

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Special Olympics Georgia Launches Project UNIFY Initiative to Energize Youth

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Special Olympics Georgia (SOGA) received $60,000 in funding to support the overall outreach initiative of the organization as part of Special Olympics' new national program, Project UNIFY.

Project UNIFY is a year-long project to activate young people across the country in an effort to promote school communities where all young people are agents of change -- fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics believes through sports young people can make a difference in friendships, schools and communities.

Project UNIFY promotes a cultural shift and positions Special Olympics as a leading cause among youth -- as important, not just "nice," and as relevant to each of us, not just for "them." In addition, Project UNIFY leadership activities will help develop the next generation of leaders and advocates for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

"This project is an excellent opportunity for our Programs to get directly involved in a grass-roots effort to increase the number of Special Olympics opportunities for youth with and without intellectual disabilities, while increasing the number of state-wide sustained Special Olympics partnerships with schools," said Bob Gobrecht, Special Olympics North America Managing Director. "The need for programs like the ones Special Olympics offers that encourage positive school climates with safe and nurturing environments for all students is clear, especially in light of how inappropriate and discriminatory words and actions are becoming more and more common in our society."

Special Olympics Programs throughout the United States were invited to apply for funds to implement Project UNIFY activities that meet the initiative's objectives through a competitive grant process. Special Olympics Georgia will use their funding to support the Young Athletes, Get Into It, Unified and Traditional sports programs.

All of these initiatives will attract children and adults with intellectual disabilities into the Special Olympics program. "Our goal is to make all eligible individuals aware of the many year-round ways to get involved in our sports training and competition programs throughout the state," said SOGA CEO Georgia Milton-Sheats.

Project UNIFY was made possible by $4.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education pursuant to fiscal 2008 appropriations under the authority of HR5131, "The Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act," and the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" which Special Olympics International received in June 2008.

To kick off Project UNIFY, 17 young people from across the country, aged 14-20, with and without intellectual disabilities, assembled in Washington, D.C., on 18-20 September for the first meeting of Project UNIFY's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). The committee met during the Department of Education's 2008 Global Summit on Education, the theme of which was "Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities."

In addition to forming the Youth Advisory Committee, other overall Project UNIFY goals include promoting the Special Olympics "R-word" campaign, implementing a U.S. Special Olympics grant process for local Special Olympics Programs, hosting a Global Youth Congress as part of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, and participating in national forums and conferences on intellectual disabilities and education.

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Special Olympics Georgia Coach Receives Jim Mora Coach Award

Other Distinguished Service Awards given out were:

Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year: Demetrius Griffin of Coweta County; Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year: Tara Mims of the Kay Center in Peach County; Outstanding Local Program: Special Pops Tennis of Fulton County; Outstanding Family: Andrea and Wesley Mosley of Dekalb County; Outstanding Local Coordinator: Ann Bonds of Cobb County; Outstanding Unified Partner: Lee Brown of the Kay Center in Peach County; Outstanding Adult Volunteer: Elizabeth Ferguson of Macon-Bibb County; Outstanding Youth Volunteer: Raven Nicole Hughey of Whitefield County; Outstanding Grassroots Support from a Business on a Local or Area Level: Buffalo Rock of Coweta County; and Outstanding Organization: CEC Health Science Class of Coweta County.

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jim Mora's Count on Me Family Foundation recently recognized Special Olympics Georgia's (SOGA) Outstanding Coach of 2008 at the organization's annual Distinguished Service Awards Banquet.

The award, given to Rockdale County coach Pam Smith, is named in honor of Seattle Seahawks Coach and former Falcons coach Jim Mora.

"The Jim Mora Count on Me Family Foundation has been a fan of Special Olympics athletes for years. Special Olympics Georgia appreciates the overwhelming belief, support and enthusiasm given by the foundation to the organization. Because of the current and past recognition given to SOGA by the foundation, we have been enabled to make Georgians aware of the services that we provide year-round to children and adults with intellectual disabilities," said SOGA CEO Georgia Milton-Sheats.

The Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation was created to support children's organizations through monetary grants primarily in three target areas: children from low socio-economic backgrounds, mentally and physically challenged, and children at-risk. Coach Mora and his wife Shannon have been long-time supporters of Special Olympics Georgia. They quickly embraced the organization as their signature charity when they arrived to Atlanta in 2003, and have been very supportive since. Over the years, the foundation has donated more than $300,000 to Special Olympics Georgia.

Coach Smith received a letter of recognition from the former Atlanta Falcons coach and special pro sports memorabilia.

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Governor to Light the Flame of Hope for Special Olympics Georgia at State Capitol Press Conference

Governor Sonny Perdue will help light the “flame of hope” for Special Olympics Georgia athletes at 9 a.m. Friday on the front steps of the state capitol on the Washington Street side.

The torch has been passed across the state by law enforcement officers for the last few weeks and will stop at State Summer Games Opening Ceremony at Emory University Friday evening at 7:30.

The torch passing is part of a press conference to announce the 2008 Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run and to accept a check from the Torch Run presenting sponsor, Publix Supermarkets.

Once the Governor and a Special Olympics Georgia athlete light the torch, they will pass it off to members of the 2008 Torch Run. The officers (represented by Atlanta Police Department, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and other agencies across the state) will take the torch and begin their final leg of the run through downtown Atlanta and make their way onto Emory’s campus.

Expected to speak at the press conference are: Governor Perdue, Marietta Police Deputy Chief Billy Grogan Law Enforcement Torch Run State Director, Brenda Reid, Vice President of Community Relations of Publix Supermarkets and a Special Olympics Georgia athlete.

The torch represents the “flame of hope” that law enforcement officers pass on to athletes before they begin competition at State Summer Games. This weekend at the games, nearly 2,000 athletes will compete in sports such as gymnastics, athletics, volleyball, soccer, tennis and others at Emory.

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.