SOCT - Special Olympics of Connecticut

October 2009

Feature Story
Important News
Upcoming Events
Sports Department News
Development News
Northwest Regional News
Southwest Regional News
Eastern Regional News
CAS Unified® Sports School Program
Advancement
Board of Directors

Feature Story

Special Olympics Connecticut...40 Years of Changing Attitudes and Changing Lives!
We continue to celebrate 40 years of changing attitudes and changing lives and we are proud to forge ahead in honor of our late founder, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. While it has been so much fun to look back over the decades and to remember how far we have come, it is also a time to move ahead and keep growing and improving our programs. We are all honored to continue Mrs. Shriver's vision and goals. To pay tribute to Mrs. Shriver, please visit www.eunicekennedyshriver.org .

Also, in case you haven't seen it, please click here to view the Special Olympics Connecticut 40th Anniversary video.

40th Anniversary Trivia
Last month's trivia contest question was, "At the first Special Olympics competition on July 20, 1968 who said to Eunice Kennedy Shriver 'You know, Eunice, the world will never be the same after this.'?"

The answer was Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Congratulations to Mark Putney of Madison, who is our September winner!

October Trivia Question
As we close in on the end of our 40th anniversary we are going to really test you with trivia! This one is difficult… let's see who's up to the challenge.

Name one of the two Connecticut athletes who performed at the Closing Ceremony at the International Winter Games held in Park City, Utah in 1985. For an extra little something in the winning prize pack let us know what sport was performed!

The first person to respond via e-mail with the correct answer will win a prize. If you think you have the winning answer, please e-mail Laura Gremelsbacker at LauraG@soct.org by October 23rd. Good luck!

Important News

Special Olympics Connecticut 2009 Fall Sports Festival Commendations and Recommendations Survey
In an effort to provide the best possible programming for our athletes and vounteers we would like you to please take a few minutes and complete this survey about your experiences at the 2009 Fall Sports Festival. Please complete your survey by October 23rd. Here is the link for the survey.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229MUE8LQBD
Thank you for your feedback!

Volleyball Coaches Training School
There will be a volleyball coaches training on October 14th at Oxford Center School in Oxford from 6pm-8pm. Please fill out the form and submit as soon as possible to Morgan at the Northwest Regional Office. Click here for the training school registration form.

Two Coaching Education Websites

ASEP: The American Sport Education Program provides a website, not only for online courses but also for free downloads of articles and information to help a coach as well as a sport parent, administrator and official be more knowledgeable and more effective. Please go on-line to www.asep.org to see all of what is available.

PCA: The Positive Coaching Alliance also provides a website and various tools plus online courses to assist a coach becoming a more knowledgeable and effective coach. To Ask PCA your youth sports coaching and sports parenting questions, e-mail AskPCA@positivecoach.org or go online to www.positivecoach.org. Such information includes Ask PCA: Changing my Co-Coaches’ Approach (Beyond Winning Is the Only Thing) and Sports Parenting Tip: Help Your Youth Athletes Talk to Their Coaches.

Upcoming Events

October 11
Bowling Coaches Training School

October 11
Flag Football Clinic

October 14
Basketball Coaches Training School
Click here for the training school registration form.

October 14
Volleyball Coaches Training School
Click here for the training school registration form.

October 24
Basketball Divisioning Tournament

October 24
Northwest Region Bowling Qualifier, Spare Time, Bristol

October 25
Volleyball Divisioning Tournament

October 25
Eastern Region Bowling Qualifier, Groton

October 25
Northwest Region Bowling Qualifier, Lore's Lanes, New Milford

October 31
Eastern Region Bowling Qualifier, Brooklyn

November 1
Eastern Region Bowling Qualifier, East Hartford

November 1
Southwest Region Bowling Qualifier, Circle Lanes, East Haven

November 11-15
Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference

November  21 & 22
Holiday Sports Classic

December 6
2010 Winter Games Coaches Meeting
at CAS/CIAC Office, Cheshire

Click here for a the "Dates and Deadlines" list for the 2009 Holiday Sports Classic.

For more Special Olympics Connecticut competition and special events click here.

Sports Department News

Holiday Sports Classic Coaches Meeting
On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 69 coaches attended the Holiday Sports Classic Coaches Meeting at the CAS/CIAC Office in Cheshire. The registration forms are available on our website, www.soct.org under the forms tab on the upper right hand corner of the main page of the website.

Click here for the Holiday Sports Classic list of "Dates and Deadlines".

Click here for the driving direction for the Holiday Sports Classic venues and hotel.

Volleyball Coaches Training School
There will be a volleyball coaches training on October 14th at Oxford Center School in Oxford from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. Please fill out the form and submit as soon as possible to Morgan at the Northwest Regional Office. Click here for the training school registration form.

Basketball Coaches Training School
There will be a basketball (Unified® and Traditional) coaches training on October 14th at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Please fill out the form and submit as soon as possible to Morgan at the Northwest Regional Office. Click here for the training school registration form.

Special Olympics Connecticut 2009 Fall Sports Festival Commendations and Recommendations Survey
In an effort to provide the best possible programming for our athletes and vounteers we would like you to please take a few minutes and complete this survey about your experiences at the 2009 Fall Sports Festival. Please complete your survey by October 23rd. Here is the link for the survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229MUE8LQBD
Thank you for your feedback!

Flag Football Clinic
Due to inclement weather the flag football clinic scheduled to be held on October 3 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon has been re-scheduled for Sunday, October 11th for any athletes and coaches who might like to be a part of this particular sport. The clinic will take place at Green Acres School in North Haven, located at 146 Upper State St. Please contact Laurie-Jean at laurie-jean@soct.org or 203.230.1201 ext. 235 if you are interested in learning more about this event.

Ballroom Dancing
As Dancing with the Stars has become so popular we have been asked to see if there is any interest with any of our athletes in learning how to do Ballroom Dancing. Please contact Laurie-Jean at laurie-jean@soct.org if any athletes or partners are interested in participating in a Unified® Ballroom Dancing program. Once we know if there is an interest we will be able to search out facilities and instructors. This has the potential of becoming a demonstration sport. Special Olympics Indiana is currently participating in a very successful endeavor with dance studios in Fort Wayne.

2009 Holiday Sports Classic
This annual event will take place the weekend just before Thanksgiving on November 21 & 22. Unified® Basketball, Unified® Volleyball, Unified® and Traditional Bowling and Powerlifting will all be offered throughout the weekend. A coaches meeting was held on Wednesday, September 23. Thank you to the 69 coaches who attended.

The Unified® Basketball Qualifier will take place on Saturday, October 25th at the New Haven Athletic Center.

The Unified® Volleyball Qualifier will take place on Sunday, October 26th at the New Haven Athletic Center.

All Bowling Qualifiers will be held in October and November. Please refer to the Regional pages of this e-newsletter for information on any of those tournaments.

2009 Holiday Sports Classic – Coaches Meeting Minutes and Highlights

Event Dates: November 21 & 22, 2009

Venues:
AMF Circle Lanes, East Haven (Bowling)
AMF Lanes, Milford (Bowling)
New Haven Athletic Center and Hillhouse High School, New Haven (Volleyball and Powerlifting)
Quinnipiac University, Hamden (Basketball)

• Please notify Laurie-Jean if your cell phone number has changed since last year

• Matt Glad, an athlete from Bloomfield, gave a presentation on his Eagle Scout project; he is working on a recycling program for any medals that athletes would like to donate back; Glad will refurbish them and put new ribbons on any that are turned in;

• Laurie-Jean reviewed the 2009 budget constraints that have been mentioned in all Coaches Meetings this year; due to budget cuts, there will be extremely limited housing options available for the Holiday Sports Classic this year; we will only be able to utilize the Trumbull Marriott – SOCT cannot afford the 2 outlying hotels that have been used in the past; the only people that will be able to stay will be those participating in team sports – unified volleyball and unified basketball; volleyball skills athletes will not be able to stay as they will only compete one day; the budget has also cut out any additional people attending the banquet and dance; if programs not staying overnight would like to attend the banquet and the dance it will be an additional charge of at least $20 per person (on top of the registration fees); dinner fees will be confirmed with the hotel in the next few days; no transportation will be available from SOCT – all teams wishing to stay overnight will have to provide their own transportation to and from the venues to the hotel; lunch will not be available for the volleyball qualifier this year either; due to the limited housing available, the hotel was able to provide us with the exact number of double rooms and king rooms available to us; programs were given their own housing form designating exactly how many rooms and what configuration they had to work out for their teams; all king rooms now have a pull out couch; SOCT is in the process right now of working on budgets for 2010 and it looks like there will not be the ability to bring back any of these changes at this time;

• Volunteer Screening project is ongoing; please be sure all partners, coaches, and volunteers have their Class "A" forms up to date including Protective Behaviors; contact Katie Femiak with any questions

• Insurance requests need to be submitted to Sarah Dickinson well before any training programs begin; no one can sign any type of contract except for Mike Mason our CFO

• Registration Information for Holiday Sports Classic
      o Dates to remember were distributed – please review in the e-newsletter
      o Registration for volleyball and basketball must include housing
      o All registration forms are on the website
      o Programs are asked to be creative with team names should you have more than
         one team; please don’t call them Team A, B or 1, 2 or by the same name

• Bowling
      o No flash photography, no food on lanes
      o Please have athletes arrive on time but not earlier than they need to be there
      o NO JEANS should be worn for any competition for any sport
      o There will be Assisted Ramp and Ramp bowling; if an athlete needs to be
         assisted, please highlight that on the registration form; contact Sue Mohr for
         any questions regarding ramp bowling
      o Notify Laurie-Jean if you have a preference as to which bowling lane and what
         session you would like your program to compete in
      o Qualifiers are scheduled in all regions; please check with your Regional office
         and/or check the e-newsletter for dates and locations

• Unified Volleyball and Volleyball Skills
      o Skills will be Saturday only and no overnight will be available
      o CT Elks will be hosting an indoor soccer clinic on Saturday
      o Divisioning tournament will take place on Sunday, October 25 at the New
         Haven Athletic Center; lunch will not be available; some snacks & beverages will
         be on hand; schedule will be done early enough for everyone to leave before
         lunch time but teams are welcome to bring bag lunches
      o Please remind all families that lunch is only available for athletes, coaches and
         volunteers during the tournament in November; for the past two years powerlifters

         have missed lunch because there wasn’t any left for them
      o Please remind all coaches that medals and ribbons are for athletes and
         partners only

• Unified Basketball
     o We will utilize all 5 courts at Quinnipiac; large gym will also be the site for
        Opening Ceremonies
     o Congratulations to King Davis – please see notice below
     o Divisioning tournament will take place on Saturday, October 24 at the New
        Haven Athletic Center; lunch will be provided as the schedule will last most of the
        day for most teams

• Powerlifting
     o Lunch will definitely be available to all powerlifters
     o Opening ceremonies will take place with volleyball at 9:00 a.m.
     o Welcome to our new team out of Danbury and our new athletes in Tri Town

• Coaches training schools
     o Please check the calendar in the e-newsletter for the information in regards to
        coaches trainings in bowling, basketball, and volleyball

• Sponsor/Competition volunteers
     o We are extremely grateful to all of our sponsors and the volunteers that they
        bring to run our events; please remind all parents and coaches that the coffee
        service (if we are able to provide it this year) is provided for these individuals and
        not for spectators or team volunteers;

• Coaches Handbooks
     o Will be on the website; link will be e-mailed to all Local Coordinators and
        coaches who list an e-mail address on the registration forms; coaches can print
        the entire booklet or only the pages needed
     o Team schedules will be sent separately
     o Directions are included in the handbook;

• Other Information
     o Fairfield Sports & Fitness Training Center has offered their facility for athletes to
        train; please contact Laurie-Jean for additional information
     o Evaluation Team – contact Laurie-Jean if you or if you know of anyone who would
        be interested in joining this committee that attends all state competitions
     o 2010 National Games team has been selected; all team members should be
        competing in the Holiday Sports Classic this year with their usual local
        programs; training for National Games will begin after the first of the year; all
        team members will be announced during Opening Ceremonies;
      o New sports opportunities:

• Flag Football Clinic

• Ballroom Dancing – we are continuing to try to secure studios to provide training

• Cheerleading – starting in Quinebaug Valley

• Badminton – starting in North Haven

• Curling – hope to have a clinic before the end of the year

New England Basketball Hall of Fame
Congratulations to King Davis of Special Olympics Tri-Town. King was recently selected to be inducted into the 2009 New England Basketball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at Mohegan Sun on Friday, October 9th. The New
England Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes significant achievement in all aspects of the games here in New England. For information on the Hall of Fame, a list of past inductees, etc. please go to www.internationalsport.com/basketball.

Two Coaching Education Websites

Development News

Special Olympics Connecticut Collecting Cell Phones and Accessories
Please look for our self addressed postage paid envelopes at your local Special Olympics Connecticut office as well as at upcoming games and special events.

Special Olympics Connecticut has partnered with TWIGTEK, where donated phones are recycled in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. Please consider sending your old phones in after upgrading. Thank you.

2009 Fall Sports Festival
Thank you to our sponsors for making this year’s Fall Sports Festival so successful!

RSM McGladrey – Softball
BIC Corporation – Bocce
People’s United Community Foundation – Golf
Stonington Harbor Yacht Club Foundation – Sailing
Lincoln Waste Solutions – 9-Hole Golf Tournament
General Federation of Women’s Clubs – Bocce
Macy*s

2009 Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference
Auction Items Needed for 2009 Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference
Special Olympics Connecticut (SOCT) and our Law Enforcement Torch Run Program will be hosting the world in 2009 as the Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference comes to Connecticut. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers from
around the world will descend upon the MGM Grand at Foxwoods November 11-15.

In an effort to offset our costs in hosting this once in a lifetime event, SOCT/LETR will present a Live/Silent Auction for Conference Attendees. This is a huge opportunity to raise significant money. In 2007, Special Olympics Oklahoma raised $50,000 from this one event.

Auction items are needed. If you have a timeshare, vacation home, artwork, sports memorabilia, or similar items that you think would generate interest and you would like to donate them to this event, please call Bob Garguilo, at the Special Olympics Connecticut Hamden Office, 203.230.1201 ext. 223 or robertg@soct.org .

Thank you to the Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference Sponsors that have provided support to date:
Bozzuto’s/IGA Super Food Stores
GE
Knights of Columbus
UTC Power
Whelen Engineering
Macy*s
Foxwoods/MPTN
Anthem
…just to name a few.

Northwest Regional News

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229MUE8LQBD
Thank you for your feedback!

Welcome Rob Gerowe!
We would like to welcome Rob Gerowe, our new Northwest Regional Director. Rob has worked for World Vision and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Team in Training program) with a total of over 14 years of non-profit experience. Please join us in welcoming him to our family!

Northwest Bowling Qualifier Sponsor
The Northwest Region is proud to announce Barnes Group of Bristol as this year’s sponsor for the Northwest Region Bowling Qualifier taking place on Saturday, October 24th at Spare Time in Bristol. We thank Barnes Group for their generous donation and for allowing more athletes to participate in this great sport.

Endurathon 2009
This event has been postponed until 2010. A date will be announced in early 2010.

Northwest Region Law Enforcement Torch Run Events
With school back in session, it was a month to catch our breath and begin planning for a busy fall season. Fundraising kicked-off with Torrington Police Department holding their Annual Pasta Supper on September 23rd. It was an evening of great food
and dancing! We would like to thank the Torrington Elks Club, Torrington Police Department, Torrington Police Explorers, and all the local merchants and business owners for their help in making this event such a success every year.

Tip-A-Cop in Danbury
Danbury Police Department and Chucks Steak House will be holding their Annual Tip-A-Cop on Thursday, October 15th. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and dinner will be served from 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Please come out
and tip your favorite officer and support Special Olympics.

Halloween Dance
Beacon Falls Resident State Trooper and Woodland High School are hosting a Halloween Dance for the students of Woodland High School on October 30th. Only students, faculty and teachers from the High School will be admitted. Admission is $10 and all proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. Donations for raffle prizes are being accepted and judges are needed for the costume contest. If anyone is interested in donating or volunteering, please call Sharon at 860.484.9283.

Northwest Penguin Plunges
Believe it or not….it’s not too early to start thinking about the upcoming plunge season. Recruit your friends, family members, and neighbors to join us at one of the plunges listed below.

Winding Trails
Farmington
January 25, 2010

Highland Lake
Winsted
January 30, 2010

Lake Quassy
Middlebury
February 6, 2010

Candlewood Lake Park/Danbury PAL
March 7, 2010

For more information: Contact Sharon at 203.267.6566 ext.708

Northwest Bowling Qualifiers
Registrations are due to the Northwest Regional Office on October 14th. Please make sure all medical and release forms are up-to-date. If you have any questions about the status of anyone’s forms, please ask ASAP! The Northwest Region Bowling
Qualifiers are on October 24th at Spare Time in Bristol and on October 25th at Lore’s Lanes in New Milford.

Volleyball Coaches Training School
There will be a volleyball coaches training on October 14th at Oxford Center School in Oxford from 6pm-8pm. Please fill out the form and submit as soon as possible to Morgan at the northwest regional office. Click here for the training school registration form.

15th Annual Swim-a-thon at Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT will host its 15th Annual Swim-a-thon on Sunday, October 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Participants may swim up to a maximum of 80 lengths of the new Hotchkiss 25-yard pool to raise money from pledges and sponsors to benefit the Northwest Connecticut Special Olympics Swim Team. There is no minimum distance required: even one length of the pool is considered participation. Swimmers of all abilities are welcome to participate. Keith Moon, Director of Student Activities and the boys swimming coach, is the founder and coordinator for the event.

"We have always had a terrific turn-out from our students, faculty, and staff for this event," Moon said. "We hope this year to have people from all over the Northwest Corner participate. We would love to break our old record of 103 swimmers this year."

Swimmers generally accept pledges per lap for their time in the pool. Last year swimmers raised an average of $60 each for the event, raising more than $3,500 for the Special Olympians. Once the donations are received, a presentation ceremony is held later in the year during a demonstration swim meet with members of the Hotchkiss boys and girls swim teams and the Special Olympics team. Volunteers for that event are most welcome.

"We are grateful for the annual generosity of the Hotchkiss School and Swim-a-thon participants," said former Northwest Swim Team local coordinator, Agnes Dzenutis. "These funds go to our local chapter and ensure that our athletes are able to compete in regional and state competitions."

Anyone interested in swimming on October 11th should call Keith Moon at 860.435.3193 or e-mail him at kmoon@hotchkiss.org. Spectators and event volunteers are most welcome. Donations can be sent directly to Hotchkiss Swim-a-thon, c/o Keith Moon, PO Box 800, Lakeville, CT 06039.

Southwest Regional News

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229MUE8LQBD
Thank you for your feedback!

Southwest Region Local Coordinators Meeting
The next Southwest Region Local Coordinators Meeting will be held on October 20th, 2009 at 6 p.m. at the Trumbull office.

2009 Bender Financial Golf Tournament
The 3rd Annual Bender Financial Group Golf Tournament held at the Country Club of Darien to support our athletes was a huge success again. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s contribution. Thank you to our sponsors.

Gold Sponsor:    Northwestern Mutual Financial Network The Bender Financial Group
Silver Sponsor:    The Fairfield Financial Group
Bronze Sponsor:  Fairfield County Bank, Bronze Sponsor.

Phil and Lisa Bender with Chris Hasak.

Joe Dennin, David Dennin, Clif Backes, and Mike Mason

We hope to see everyone again at next year’s event on Monday, September 13, 2010.

Southwest Region Law Enforcement Torch Run News and Events
Trumbull Police Host Tip-A-Cop
Trumbull police officers hosted a Tip-A-Cop on Friday, September 25th at Marisa’s Ristorante from 6 to 10 p.m. Marisa’s, located at 6540 Main Street, Trumbull (203.459.4225) is a traditional Italian restaurant, lounge, and classic steakhouse.

Greenwich Police Serve at Tip-A-Cop
Lieutenant Tom Keegan and friends with the Greenwich Police/Silver Shield Association recently held a Tip-A-Cop at the Two Door Restaurant in Greenwich. It was the first time the event was held at this venue.

Bridgeport Corrections to Host a Tip-A-Cop at Ash Creek Saloon
Corrections Officers from the Bridgeport Correctional Center will host a Tip-A-Cop fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut on Monday, October 26, 2009 at Ash Creek Saloon from 5 to 9 p.m. Ash Creek Saloon is located at 2895 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport (203.333.2733). Reservations may be made, but are not required, and the event is open to the public. Ash Creek Saloon is an all American Restaurant in the spirit of the Old West that offers “best ribs in Connecticut,” according to a recent Connecticut Magazine poll.

Sacred Heart University Public Safety Officers will make on-campus “arrests” and collect bail for a good cause
Sacred Heart University’s Department of Public Safety Officers are teaming up with members of the Bridgeport Police Department and the university’s students, teachers, and administrators to organize their first “Jail ‘n Bail” fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. The event will be held on Thursday, November 5, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on campus, at the courtyard beside the cafeteria.

During the Jail ‘n Bail event, individuals on campus will be invited to fill out a warrant on a person they want to be “arrested.” Each warrant costs $5.00. Public safety officers, with assistance from local police, make the arrest and present the arrestee to a panel of judges, which is composed of faculty members and administrators who volunteer their time. The judges review the warrant and set bail based on charges which may include poor dress, messy hair, missing class, sleeping in too late, poor attitude, etc. Next, the arrestee is placed in a “jail cell” on campus and calls upon friends and family to “raise bail”, in the form of donations to Special Olympics Connecticut, in order to be released.

Sacred Heart University faculty members, administrators, and coaches, as well as local police chiefs, and town officials will be called upon to serve as “mock” judges. Also helping to put this event together are members of the Fairfield Police Department and Public Safety Officers from Fairfield University and Southern Connecticut State University, who hold Jail 'n Bail events on their campus.

For information or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please call John Kichinko at 203.906.9123 or visit the Sacred Heart University website, www.sacredheart.edu.

2009 Southwest Region Bowling Qualifier
IMPORTANT information for the 2009 Southwest Regional Bowling Qualifier.

• The Bowling Qualifier will take place in East Haven on November 1, 2009. AMF Circle Lanes in East Haven at 525 Main Street.

• Opening Ceremonies for the morning (Unified®) session will take place at 8:30 a.m. At 8:45 a.m. bowlers will have a 15 minute warm-up. Unified® Competition will begin PROMPTLY at 9:00 a.m. It is imperative that your teams and all your bowlers are at the alley no later than 8:15 a.m. so that they can get settled on their lanes to make sure that we start on time.

• Opening Ceremonies for the afternoon (Traditional) session will take place at 12:00 p.m. At 12:15 p.m. bowlers will have a 15 minute warm-up. Traditional Competition will begin PROMPTLY at 12:30 p.m. It is imperative your teams and all your bowlers are at the alley no later than 11:45 a.m. so that they can get settled on their lanes to make sure that we start on time.

• As this is a half day event, lunch will not be provided for bowlers. Outside food will not be allowed to be brought in, so please make any necessary arrangements. The snack bar at AMF Circle Lanes will be open for business.

• As this is a Qualifying event, we will not be giving out medals. We will be giving out 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, etc., ribbons. We appreciate all the support you have shown for this effort.

• If an athlete or partner is unable to attend the qualifier, but is still planning on coming to the state level of competition, an Absence of Qualifier form must be filled out and received in the Hamden office absolutely NO LATER than Wednesday, November 4th.

• Please remember - no athletes or unified partners should be wearing jeans for competition. This includes the regional bowling qualifier and the state event. Anyone showing up in jeans will not be allowed to bowl.

East Haven Penguin Plunge to Kick-off Plunge Season
The annual East Haven Penguin Plunge will take place on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at the Town Beach on Cosey Beach Avenue in East Haven. Individuals and teams can now register to participate online at www.soct.org/plunges/ . They may also request a registration packet by calling 203.380.9990 or e-mailing debbieh@soct.org. This event also provides great sponsorship opportunities for local businesses and organizations that want to make a difference in the lives of Special Olympics Connecticut athletes. Please call 203.380.9990 for details.

On the day of the event, on-site check-in/registration will begin at 11 a.m. and the plunge will take place at 1 p.m. WPLR will provide music and there will be snacks and hot beverages for all participants. Athletic teams, civic organizations, families, students, and teams representing local businesses will take the plunge and dash into Long Island Sound in the company of friends for a good cause. Spectators are welcome, too. Participants in recent years have included Attorney General Blumenthal, local firefighters, Mayor April Capone Almon, members of the Army Guard, employees of Webster Bank, Fidelity, and USI, as well as other local professionals, and students from Yale University, New Haven University, and East Haven High School.

Eastern Regional News

Special Olympics Connecticut 2009 Fall Sports Festival Commendations and Recommendations Survey
In an effort to provide the best possible programming for our athletes and vounteers we would like you to please take a few minutes and complete this survey about your experiences at the 2009 Fall Sports Festival. Please complete your survey by October 23rd. Here is the link for the survey.
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB229MUE8LQBD
Thank you for your feedback!

Basketball Coaches Training School
There will be a basketball (Unified® and Traditional) coaches training on October 14th at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury from 6pm-8pm. Please fill out the form and submit as soon as possible to Morgan at the Northwest Regional Office. Click here for the training school registration form.

2009 Mystic Seaport Chowderfest

Head down to Mystic Seaport over Columbus Day Weekend, October 10th, 11th and 12th to sample some of the best “chowdah” around and support Special Olympics Connecticut! We will have a booth on the green during the annual Chowderfest where
we will be selling New England Clam Chowder, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, and cookies to raise funds for the Eastern Region. Special thanks to volunteers from the Special Olympics Griswold, Groton Special Recreation, Special Olympics Norwich, and the Seaside Saybrook local programs who come to help us out each year Thank you also to the United States Coast Guard Academy for their support. Click here for event flyer!

Cabela’s Copstacle Course

Maybe your police officers can catch a thief before a victim even notices anything is missing. Perhaps your local firefighters extinguish a 4-alarm blaze before the siren stops ringing. What Special Olympics Connecticut wants to know is, how fast can they navigate their way through a zany obstacle course before devouring a bucket of beef jerky and a box of donuts?

The race is all part of “Cabela’s Copstacle Course,” the latest fundraiser for Special Olympics Connecticut. Sponsored by Cabela’s, the World’s Foremost Outfitter of hunting and camping gear and equipment, and the law firm of Trantolo and Trantolo, public safety agencies from throughout Connecticut will send 4-person teams to compete in this unique race. First, teams will have to duplicate a model camp site from its original specifications. Second, the teams will have to carry a canoe through a precarious set of obstacles including cones and other distractions. Thirdly, the teams will have to pull a Mule 30-yards before stuffing their bellies with beef jerky and donuts. The first team to wolf down all their food, after successfully completing the race, wins.

Local companies and corporations are also invited to join in on the fun. Anyone interested can enter 4-person teams for a $100 donation to Special Olympics Connecticut.

Cabela’s Copstacle Course is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cabela’s, 475 East Hartford Boulevard North in East Hartford. Please contact Jackie Turro, by e-mail at jturro@soct.org, or by phone at 860.887.1555 ext. 502 for more event information, including entering a team.

All Law Enforcement Torch Run departments who participate will be credited with 100% of their registration fee and pledges.

Dodging for Dollars: Take 2

It’s baaaack! If you missed it in March – now is your chance to take on UCONN students, including Greek life and club sports, law enforcement, and the member of the local community in a Dodgeball Tournament to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. That’s right – “Dodging for Dollars” is back for "Take Two" – and we want YOU! We’re moving to a new facility, making it a double-elimination tournament, and have some more tricks up our sleeve to improve upon our spring tournament. Help us smash our fundraising goal of $5,000.

The UCONN Office of Community Outreach is hosting “Dodging for Dollars” to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut on Sunday, October 24th at E.O. Smith High School. Teams consist of 6 - 8 people and compete in one of three divisions: Men’s, Women’s or Co-Rec. Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each division as well as prizes for the best team name and best dressed team. Individual registration fees of $15 per person include a t-shirt for each team member and snacks. Teams are also encouraged to generate pledges, with an award going to the top fundraising team.

Registration fees and event sponsorships will all support local Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Region programming initiatives. For more information, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jackie Turro at jackiet@soct.org or call
860.887.1555.

Click here for the Dodging for Dollars: Take 2 event registration form.

Click here for the Dodging for Dollars: Take 2 pledge sheet.

Click here for the Dodging for Dollars: Take 2 flyer.

Bowl-a-Thon with the Hartford Wolf*Pack

Bowl-A-Thon with the Hartford Wolf *Pack will be on Sunday, November 8th at AMF Silver Lanes in East Hartford. Wolf*Pack’s players will be on hand for the Bowl-a-Thon. The players will be bowling alongside teams of 4 bowlers, who have raised money
via pledges, to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Region. Teams must raise a minimum of $200 in pledges to participate. Prizes, including the use of luxury suites at a Wolf *Pack home game, will be awarded to the top fund-raising teams.

There will be two sessions of bowling with the first session starting at 11:00 a.m. and the second session starting at 2:00 p.m. AMF Silver Lanes is located at 748 Silver Lane in East Hartford.

Click on the following link to enter, register, and start your on-line fundraising for the Bowl-a-Thon, http://soct.convio.net/bowlathon.

Sponsorship opportunities; including on-site promotion, banner signage and website exposure are also available. For further information, please call Jackie Turro at 860.887.1555 ext. 502.

Click here for the Bowl-a-thon flyer.

Click here for the Bowl-a-thon registration form.

Click here for the Bowl-a-thon pledge sheet.

Click here for Sponsorship Opportunities for the Bowl-a-thon.

Penguin Plunge

Penguin Plunge season is right around the corner! Don’t forget to visit www.soct.org/plunges to register and start online fundraising for 2010 plunges!

Eastern Region Penguin Plunge dates are as follows:
February 20
Middletown – Polish Falcons Club
Crystal Lake

February 28
New London
Ocean Beach Park

March 6
Ellington
Crystal Lake

This is a great opportunity for local programs to raise some money. Remember, you keep 50% of any pledges to earn from taking the plunge! Please contact the Eastern Region office for more information on how to get involved.

CAS Unified® Sports School Program

Unified Sports® and Positive School Climate
This past August a delegation of Unified® Sports leaders, partners and athletes converged on Lincoln, Nebraska to attend the Project Unify Special Olympics Bridge Conference. Representing Connecticut were Liza Nolan, Associate Director of Grants
and Development, Lou Pear, Unified® Sports Director, and two Unified® Sports Partners from Farmington High School, Marney Pollack and Sarah Bonner. Connecticut’s delegates joined others from 41 states. These bridge meetings focused on the success Unified® Sports programs enjoyed in the first year of Project Unify and shared plans on how to expand on those successes in the program’s second year. The emphasis for year two would involve student leadership in schools to use a variety of strategies to enrich the lives of athletes and partners while developing positive school climates. These strategies would stress acceptance, compassion, and respect. Each day, student led workshops modeled themes and venues so students could go back to their schools with a toolkit of ideas so that they could become Project Unify Ambassadors at their schools. The student leaders were asked to lead focus groups or assemblies with the theme of, “Be a Fan”, “Ending the R-Word”, and setting the tone at their schools to respect all students in developing a positive school climate.

In addition to these well workshops, delegates put into action some of what was learned as groups of attendees were asked to “Be a Fan” for a local softball team which was participating in a Special Olympics softball tournament. Signs, banners, and cheers were developed as our designated team received us with open arms. The energy and enthusiasm which was demonstrated at each ballfield was electric. It is hoped that all conference participants will pay it forward ten-fold as they develop enthusiastic fans for their own Unified® Sports teams.

Upon returning to Connecticut, Bob Deasy, Assistant Director of Unified® Sports was putting together the final touches on the 3rd Annual Unified® Sports Youth Leadership Summit. Sarah Bonner and Marney Pollack, as well as other Unified® Sports
Partners, will lead 200 students from our Connecticut schools with the lessons from Nebraska and at their respective schools. This year’s summit is scheduled for January 12, 2010 at Wesleyan University. In addition to presentations by our student leaders, we will have two keynote presentations by Michael Savage, Executive Director – Connecticut Association of Schools and Beau Doherty, President – Special Olympics Connecticut.

Part of our Project Unify grant was to introduce a character education game modeled after the one now being used in Arizona. Several of our new school’s leaders and partners will participate in a training session and then play this game with their
Unified® Sports team and introduce it to health programs in their schools.

It is hoped that once these pilot schools are up and running we will offer this opportunity to all Unified® Sports schools.

On behalf of the Unified® Sports staff at the Connecticut Association of Schools and Special Olympics Connecticut, best wishes for a successful school year as we continue to change attitudes and change lives.

Advancement

Planned Giving
An athlete's future can begin today… Create a legacy of acceptance & inclusion. Please consider Special Olympics in your will or estate plan. For more information about Special Olympics Planned Giving opportunities click here.

Board of Directors

2009 Fall Sports Festival
Thank you to Chairman Dave Cassano for his attendance and support at the Fall Sports Festival. Thanks also to Program Chair Nancy Dennin who helps run the golf event and Board Member Mike Leahy who helps run the sailing event. The weather was not the most cooperative, but the Special Olympics Connecticut Program Staff did a tremendous job to make this an outstanding event. Special Olympics Connecticut also gave out the Mike Lupica Award for the most inspirational athlete in Golf and the Robert Fiondella Award for the most inspirational athlete in Softball.

Southwest Regional Bender Golf Tournament
Thanks again to Program Chair Nancy Dennin and former Board Member Joe Dennin for serving on the committee for the Southwest Regional Bender Golf Tournament. Thank you also to Board Chairman Dave Cassano and Board Members Rick
Allen and Patrick Healy who golfed at the event. The event was a big success!

Next Full Board Meeting
The next full Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. at the Special Olympics Connecticut State Office. Information and an agenda will be sent out prior to the meeting. Please RSVP to Kelli by e-mail at kellib@soct.org or by phone at 203.230.1201 ext. 276 if you will or will not be in attendance.

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