APRIL WAS AN INCREDIBLE—AND BUSY—MONTH FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS NEBRASKA!
Right after a successful 2017 Spring Games, SONE had a very special visitor—Chairman of Special Olympics, Dr. Tim Shriver!
Upon his arrival, SONE hosted a reception with our past and present Board of Directors, donors, and some athletes. The first topic was Gallup’s National Partnership with Special Olympics, and the benefits of spending time teaching athletes their strengths. SONE Athlete, Kristina Davey spoke to the group about acceptance and how disheartening it can be to judge other based on appearances. As always, Kristina left her audience inspired. It was wonderful to hear from Dr. Shriver about his experiences globally with the Special Olympics Movement.
The next morning, Nebraska Medicine hosted Special Olympics Nebraska’s Ambassadors of Inclusive Health Symposium. Tim Shriver was the keynote speaker and presented global data related to health disparities among people with intellectual disabilities. SONE Global Messenger, Jason Gieschen spoke about the obstacles he has overcome and the impact SONE has had on his life. In attendance were instrumental leaders in the health community that joined together to engage, discuss barriers, solutions and resources to health and wellness issues faced by these individuals. What a great step for SONE's health goals in normalizing the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities into mainstream health systems!
And lastly Nebraska has named its first ever, NATIONAL UNIFIED CHAMPION School, Papillion-La Vista SouthHigh School. This is a national honor rewarding Papio South’s dedication to inclusion. The award requires schools to meet 10 standards of excellence. Papio South’s Unified Sports such as bowling, soccer and basketball, along with its Unified tailgate, Unified JROTC and fundraising efforts through Titan Brew and the Polar Plunge have helped the school earn its place in history. Tim Shriver presented the Banner to Papio South along with President & CEO of SONE, Carolyn Chamberlin. Special Olympics Nebraska is incredibly proud and cannot wait to continue this example throughout the rest of the state. #ChoosetoInclude #PlayUnified
For pictures from these events, visit SONE's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/sone.org/)!
