South Central Area 6 News:

Spring SO Update: more than just sports

Special Olympics Wisconsin Area 6 would like to welcome you to it’s first newsletter of the year. Each new issue will be sent every season featuring important information, dates of special events, LETR updates, event wrap-ups and fundraising updates. The newsletter is sent to LETR committee members, polar plunge volunteers and committee members, Agency managers, volunteers and athletes.

Law Enforcement Torch Run

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics is the movement's largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle, raising us $30 million for Special Olympics Programs around the world in 2007. Read full story
 

Madison and La Crosse Plunge Updates

Both the Madison and La Crosse Polar Plunges were a huge success this year with 1,800 Plungers raising over $300,000 in Madison and 1,130 raising over $155,000 in La Crosse. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Area 6 Plunges! Read full story

Corporate Sponsor:

For more than five years, Famous Footwear has supported Special Olympics and is responsible for raising more than $50,000 through its involvement in the Polar Plunge each year. Read full story

Shooting Star: Athlete Spotlight

The crowd was going wild as the minutes counted down towards half time at the district basketball tournament in Platteville. John Baker dribbled the ball before deciding to take a risky shot near the half-court line.
Read full story

Friendship First: Agency Spotlight

The news projects that by summer 2008, fuel prices will skyrocket to $4 a gallon for unleaded. It’s tough to imagine how people and business will survive, but Special Olympics isn’t concerned. While the United States runs on gasoline, Special Olympics Wisconsin runs on volunteers. And at the heart of the volunteer effort are the agencies that together head up more than 210 teams in the state of Wisconsin alone. One of these agencies is in Adams County. Read full story

Volunteer Needs

Special Olympics Wisconsin serves nearly 10,000 athletes annually, and we need your help to give these individuals the opportunities they enjoy. Every volunteer is a potential spokesperson for Special Olympics Wisconsin.
Becoming a SOWI volunteer is a great way to give back to the community. Read full story & view calendar of upcoming events

News from around the state:

Over 800 Athletes Compete at Indoor Sports Tournament

Approximately 800 athletes traveled to Oshkosh April 4-6 to compete in the 2008 Indoor Sports Tournament. Athletes competed in team basketball, basketball skills and gymnastics.

• Read Full Story
• View 2008 Indoor Sports Tournament Results
• Photo Album

Announcing Wisconsin's 2009 World Winter Games athletes!

Next year, Boise, Idaho will play host to the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. From February 6-13, nearly 3,000 athletes from 85 countries will compete in seven Olympic-type sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey, snowboarding, snowshoeing and speed skating. The 2009 World Winter Games is expected to be the largest World Winter Games in the history of the movement. Read full story.

2009 World Games athletes from Wisconsin

• Mike Tyler, Granton, WI - snowshoe racing
• Edward Smith, Neillsville, WI - snowboarding
• Melanie Olivo, Ashland, WI - snowshoe racing
• Rebecca Henline, Union Grove, WI - cross country skiing
• Adam Benner, Tomahawk, WI - cross country skiing
• Mark Vroman, Madison, WI - speed skating

ESPN & a Mexican Fiesta hit State Summer Games

Nearly 2,000 athletes will make the trip to the Special Olympics State Summer Games on the UW Stevens Point campus on June 5-7. With an ESPN-themed Opening Ceremony, Packer's lineman AJ Hawk and Olympic speedskater Casey Fitzrandolph are just a few of the impressive interviews to be shown on the stadium size jumbotron as they welcome the athletes and more than 1,000 volunteers and supporters in the crowd to the premier event of the year!

Summer Games is the largest state Special Olympics Wisconsin athletic event and features competition in soccer, track & field, swimming and powerlifting. Closing Ceremonies on Saturday night will bring in a Mexican flair as local dancers share their culture and athletes wear their sombreros and shake their maracas. Hundreds of volunteers are needed for the event.
Click here for more information or to register to volunteer online.

2008 Volunteer Awards Reception at Miller Park

And the winner is… 

The nominations are in and the selections are being made for the 2007-2008 Volunteer Awards Reception on Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 4-8 pm at Miller Park in Milwaukee. It will be a Celebration of Area Award Winners because the winner in each category from each Area will be recognized as well as the four state award winners. The event is being hosted by the Agency Management Committee and Athlete Input Council.

Fans of SOWI are invited to attend and support the winners by purchasing an at-cost ticket. For more information, contact Jeanne at jhrovat@specialolympicswisconsin.org  or (800) 552-1324 ext. 206.

Wisconsin staff visits nation's capital & state's capital to further the movement

Washington D.C. - Staff from Special Olympics Wisconsin recently spent a day on Capital Hill in Washington, DC as the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act is up for renewal. Congress recognized the need for funding in 2004 by passing the Act, which authorizes $15 million in annual federal funding to support Special Olympics program growth and improvement in the United States and around the world. Read full story

Cell phone recycling program going strong

Special Olympics Wisconsin (SOWI) continues to help keep cell phones out of landfills and raise funds for our athletes. In the United States, 45,000 cell phones are thrown away every day.  In one year, 130 million cell phones are discarded by Americans, contributing to the increasing toxic waste in U.S. landfills. Read full story

Athletes can make Convoy their own

The 2008 World's Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics Wisconsin is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 20. Last year, Special Olympics developed the Convoy Athlete Marshal as a chance for athletes to get involved in the Convoy. This year, SOWI will again offer an opportunity for an athlete to become the 2008 Convoy Athlete Marshal! Read full story

2008 Polar Plunges raise $1.1 million statewide

This year's ten Polar Plunges were a huge success! Throughout the month of February and into March, more than 6,200 brave souls plunged into the icy waters of Wisconsin to raise over $1.1 million for over 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities statewide. Read full story

Special Olympics Wisconsin
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www.specialolympicswisconsin.org

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