| Fundraiser | On Wednesday, April 29, 2009 from 5:00-8:30 PM you will have the opportunity to be "served" by your local law enforcement officers. Special Olympics New York and Applebees have teamed up again for "Law & Orders" where law enforcement officers will be greeting the public, helping the wait staff get drinks, and bus tables while educating the customers about our initiatives. On each table there will be an envelope where the customers can leave a donation for Special Olympics New York. Historically in events like this we can raise anywhere between $500 - $1000 at one restaurant and with over 60 locations across the state we should have an amazing success!
This is a tremendous opportunity with Applebee's to raise both funds and awareness for our programs! Law Enforcement Torch Run has been holding these types of events for almost 20 years, but never have we had an event with this much potential. It is my privilege to invite you to join us at this fun and exciting event.
With support like yours, we can continue to show that when people with and without intellectual disabilities are brought together by Special Olympics, myths are dispelled, attitudes are changed, and new opportunities to embrace and celebrate people with intellectual disabilities are created.
If you have any questions about this request or anything pertaining to the upcoming event, please contact:
Melissa Wiggins
(585)586-7400 ext. 105 ormwiggins@nyso.org
Thank you for being a friend to our athletes and their families. COACHES: Please pass on this information to your athletes and parents/guardians. We are looking for 1-2 athletes with a parent/guardian/coach to be at each Applebees location to help greet customers, work with the law enforcement officers and make sure everyone is enjoying their dinner. Here is a list of locations: 5017 Transit Road Williamsville
4405 Milestrip Road Blasdell
3189 Erie Boulevard East DeWitt
1608 Military Road Niagara Falls
1641 Niagara Falls Blvd Amherst
5822 South Transit Road Lockport
340 East Fairmount Avenue Lakewood
2656 Delaware Avenue Buffalo
1785 Walden Avenue Cheektowaga
1050 Union Road West Seneca
4967 Transit Road Depew
3908 Vineyard Drive Dunkirk
3067 West State Street Olean Please contact me if you know of an athlete that would be interested. I would be happy to speak with any parent/guardian/staf member. | | Memo from President & CEO Neal Johnson | | Please find below a memo from Special Olympics New York's President and CEO addressing many of your concerns regarding finances. A copy of this memo can also be found on the online file folder for distribution to others. Dear Athletes, Families, Volunteers, and Friends:
We have had an amazing start to 2009. On January 15th, Special Olympics New York served as host of the Final Leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run as it made its way from Athens, Greece to Poland, South Africa, and China on its way to Idaho. Over 350 members of Law Enforcement participated with World Games Athletes in a ceremonial Torch Run from City Hall in Manhattan past the World Trade Center and Police Memorials on its way to a moving ceremony at the Winter Garden Atrium at the World Financial Center.
On Saturday, February 7th, more than 900 athletes and coaches came together in Rochester to celebrate and compete in Special Olympics New York's 2009 State Winter Games. Athletes demonstrated their outstanding abilities in several competitive sports, including Nordic and Alpine Skiing, Snowshoeing, Floor Hockey, and Floor Hockey Skills. On Sunday, our "Winter Weekend" concluded with the 9th Annual Rochester Polar Plunge. More than 1,500 enthusiastic Special Olympics New York supporters jumped into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario and raised just over $200,000 in support of our athletes. Another 1,000 Plungers jumped in at events held in Fishkill and on Long Island, for our athletes. Later in February, our ten World Games athletes did New York proud, winning several medals in Boise, Idaho and gaining new friends and memories that will last a lifetime. Just this past week, we participated in the Fourth Annual Hill Day in
Washington where New York athlete Kassie Glover of Syracuse stole the hearts of our federal legislators from New York, encouraging them to do all they can to support us. We again, are incredibly grateful for your amazing dedication, spirit, and support in making these and our other successes a
reality. Outside the realm of our control, we continue to face the most challenging economic period that most of us have ever witnessed. We completed our 2009 plan in the dawning of the uncertainty this past summer/early fall. Once it appeared that the situation wasn't getting better, we made the difficult choices to reduce our expenses, and only invest in core mission
activities and budget expenses to match the very conservative development outlook. There is no blame for the difficult economic environment in which we live. These times don't fit the standard mold. ALL of us, however, must invest in moving forward with our mission. I hope that each of you can appreciate the need to plan conservatively and that you do whatever you can to help us to generate the funds needed to sustain our programs. Now, more than ever, we need your help by identifying potential sponsors, joining in our local and statewide initiatives, and even simply making a direct donation. Despite all the doom and gloom, we are still 365 days a year, still free to our athletes and their families, and 47,654 strong with 3,500 competitions statewide. We are Special Olympics NEW YORK! Neal J. Johnson
President & CEO | | Submitting Forms | Registrations - Please provide the appropriate registration form to alleviate confusion during registration. (ie. if you are registering athletes for soccer skills, use the skills registration, not the team form) Rosters - Please use the correct season as each season has all of the sports offered that season. Volunteer Applications/Application for Sport Training - Again, please submit to the Western Region office so your information can be documented. Also, the Program Director needs to sign off on these forms so if the form is sent somewhere else, it will be sent back to me, making the time you receive your certification/re-certification and/or credntials that much longer. | | Upcoming Events | Western Central Local Aquatics  at the Alumni Arena Pool at the University of Buffalo Directed by Jackie Starks 9:00-9:00 AM Openening Ceremonies ** Please make note on the registration form if you are entering an athlete in an event being offered that is not listed on the registration form. Also, please make sure to submit the Special Request form with your registration. -The information packet can be found on the online file folder- ___________________________________  Western South Local Rollerskating
Evan's Skateland, Jamestown, NY
Participating: Chautauqua Lakers rollerskating club Event Director: Mary Ceci ________________________________  Western North Local Volleyball Liz Baker will once again head a great volleyball competition among several local schools | | Future Events | | Houghton College Track Meet April 28 Western Regional Basketball Tournament May 2 (Registration due April 10) If you have not submitted a roster for this sport please do so ASAP! Super Regional Volleyball and Aquatics* May 9 (Registration due April 16) If you have not submitted a roster for these sports please do so ASAP! Western South Local Track and Field May 12 Olean Schools Track and Field May 15 Genesee Region Super Regional Basketball* May 16 (Registration due May 1) Western South Local Track and Field May 21 Western North Local Track and Field May 27 Salamanca Schools Track and Field May 29 Western Central Local Track and Field May 30 (Registration due May 2) | | Program Committee | | Members of the Program Committee have a great interest and commitment to the Western Region. The primary goals will include support to the advancement of program initiatives, the advancement of our movement and support for the region; assuring that the goals are focused on program quality, consistency and credibility Does this sound like something you would like to do? We generally meet 4-6 times a year. We try to move the location depending on where people are coming from. If you are unavailable to attend a meeting we can set up a phone conference for people to call in. Please contact me if you are interested or have any questions. | | Young Athletes | | 
Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program for children ages 2-7 with intellectual disabilities, designed to introduce them to the world of sports prior to Special Olympics eligibility (age 8). This is a fun, participation-based program that teaches eye-hand coordination and motor skills through games and group activities. The Young Athletes program introduces children with intellectual disabilities and their families to the world of Special Olympics by pursuing the following goals: *Engage children with intellectual disabilities through developmentally appropriate play activities designed to foster physical, cognitive, and social development. *Welcome family members of children with intellectual disabilities to the Special Olympics network of support. *Raise awareness about the abilities of children with intellectual disabilities through inclusive peer participation, demonstrations and other events. This is a versatile program that can work in various learning situations. The program is designed to be simple enough for families to use at home with their child. It is also appropriate for preschools, schools, playgroups and recreation programs to use with small groups of young children. The program includes several resources to get started including a Young Athletes Activities Guide, a Training DVD, Young Athletes Equipment Kit and and website for further resources, materials and information. For more information on how to get started please contact Shelby Baker at sbaker@nyso.org. | | Special Olympics State Newsletter | Just an FYI, in addition to receiving this program report you will be receiving the monthly Special Olympics New York Triumph E-News Newsletter filled with lots of great information. | | "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
~Athlete Oath
| | Shelby Baker 8207 Main Street, Suite 13 Special Olympics New York 716-580-3346 |
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