News & Media

Meet Abbey Ellner, a temporary employee of Special Olympics Connecticut’s Health and Wellness department.

Abbey is finishing her master’s degree in public health at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. She has been a part of Special Olympics since 2024, first helping at the Summer Games with the Healthy Athletes health promotion screenings. Abbey interned with Caitlin Daikus, Senior Director, Health and Wellness, over the summer and started working part-time with the Health and Wellness department in Fall 2024.

Abbey first became involved as an intern through a colleague who recommended SOCT’s Health and Wellness department for her internship. Since she holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and a master's of exercise science as well as completing a master’s in public health, Abbey found that the programs she was working on with SOCT were a perfect fit for her passion for helping others lead healthier lives. 

Abbey helped with the 2024 and 2025 Summer Games Healthy Athletes programs by entering and tracking screening forms and following up on referrals as needed. She also helped facilitate the coordination of the Health Promotion screenings for the 2025 Summer Games. Her most recent major project has been editing a presentation for community health workers on how to best serve and advocate for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics International had existing materials which Abbey edited to be more relevant to local, state, and national needs. She also created a participant toolkit for the training to align with the presentation and is finishing a facilitator guide to accompany the presentation. During her internship, she worked on materials to educate coaches and athletes on nutrition education to improve their performance and overall health and well-being. 

Coming into her internship with SOCT, Abbey had no idea that the Health and Wellness department existed. She has been amazed by what the department does for the athletes and individuals in the community with intellectual disabilities. Her favorite part of working for the organization is the dedication and passion of the staff and volunteers. She also enjoys the difference the work everyone does makes in the lives of the athletes and their families. 

Thank you, Abbey, for all the work you have done to help our athletes maintain a healthy lifestyle!